The Pastures of Heaven

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The Pastures of Heaven cover

The Pastures of Heaven is a book by John Steinbeck, first published in 1932, consisting of twelve interconnected stories about a valley in Monterey, California, which was discovered by a Spanish corporal while chasing runaway Indian slaves. Enchanted by the valley's natural beauty, the corporal names it Las Pasturas del Cielo or "The Pastures of Heaven." The stories are written in classic Steinbeck style; the lives of the families that relocate to the valley are portrayed with a mixture of humor and poignance. A recurring theme in the book is the pain caused when people try ineptly to help or to please others.

[edit] In the arts

In Junius Maltby, one of the characters regards Robert Louis Stevenson's Travels with a Donkey in the Cevennes as one of the single greatest works of English literature and eventually names his infant son Robert Louis. Later on, Steinbeck was inspired by Stevenson in choosing to title his account of his cross-country voyage with a gray-haired poodle in the 1960s, Travels With Charley: In Search of America.

v • d • e Works by John Steinbeck

Novels:	Cup of Gold • To a God Unknown • Tortilla Flat • In Dubious Battle • Of Mice and Men • The Grapes of Wrath • The Moon Is Down • Cannery Row • The Pearl • The Wayward Bus • Burning Bright • East of Eden • Sweet Thursday • The Short Reign of Pippin IV • The Winter of Our Discontent • The Acts of King Arthur and His Noble Knights

Non-fiction:	The Log from the Sea of Cortez • Bombs Away: The Story of a Bomber Team • A Russian Journal • Once There Was a War • Travels with Charley • Journal of a Novel: The East of Eden Letters

Short stories:	"The Chrysanthemums" • "The White Quail" • "Flight" • "The Snake" • "Breakfast" • "The Raid" • "The Harness" • "The Vigilante" • "Johnny Bear" • "Red Pony" • "The Murder" • "Saint Katy the Virgin"

Short story collections:	The Pastures of Heaven • The Long Valley