John Steinbeck and Robinson Jeffers: A Special Issue of Steinbeck Review
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Organization: The Steinbeck Review
John Steinbeck once remarked that fellow-Californian Robinson Jeffers wrote some the “greatest poetry since Whitman.” Steinbeck kept a significant collection of Jeffers work both in his personal library and Ed Ricketts’ Lab, where Jeffers was an influential topic in their endlessly varied conversations. When asked about possibility of meeting the poet, Steinbeck declined with a telling degree of reverence: “His poetry is perfect to me, and I don’t think one should get the man mixed up with his work.” Although they did eventually meet—notably when Steinbeck lived in Monterey in 1944—their relationship was one of distant, though friendly, mutual respect. Although these two writers rarely crossed physical paths, their work maintains a wide concurrence of concern. They both deeply engaged with Californian geography and history; they both emphasized the influence of the natural world upon the individual and society; they both had social circles that revolved around the Monterey Peninsula; they both were interested in psychoanalytical theory; they both were students of classical literature and philosophy; they both experienced extraordinary recognition at the peak of their literary fame (at one point, Jeffers was on the cover of Time magazine); they both were deeply uncomfortable with such a cultural spotlight; they both admonished personal humility in the face of environmental forces.
Intersections such as these (and many more) deserve to be explored with more depth and significance. The editorial staff at the Steinbeck Review invites submissions for a special edition, “John Steinbeck and Robinson Jeffers.” We are particularly interested in perspectives which put
these authors into conversation in productive and even unexpected ways. Although submissions are not required to examine both authors, we strongly suggest that they engage (even if briefly) both Steinbeck and Jeffers. We welcome all critical and theoretical perspectives.
Please see the full guide for submissions here and submit your paper to the Steinbeck Review’s online submission system, found at www.editorialmanager.com/Steinbeck, no later than October 31, 2026. Decisions will be made by December 1, 2026.
Submissions should be accompanied by an abstract and key words.
https://www.editorialmanager.com/Steinbeck
Carter Johnson