To a God Unknown

by John Steinbeck

Book Overview

A Penguin Classic Ancient pagan beliefs, the great Greek epics, and the Bible all inform this extraordinary novel by Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck, which occupied him for more than five difficult years. While fulfilling his dead father's dream of creating a prosperous farm in California, Joseph Wayne comes to believe that a magnificent tree on the farm embodies his father's spirit. His brothers and their families share in Joseph's prosperity,...

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 0140187510
• ISBN13: 9780140187519
• Release Date: August 1995
• Publisher: Penguin Classics
• Length: 240 Pages
• Weight: 0.39 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.4" x 5.1" x 7.9"
• Age Range: 18 years and up
• Grade Range: Postsecondary and higher

Customer Reviews

"To A God Unknown" is a terrible beauty

"To A God Unknown" is Steinbeck's disturbing treatment of spirituality, superstition, and the power of faith. This is a story that will stick to the ribs of the thoughtful reader. At turns horrific and beautiful, this is a book to be read at intervals in the course of the life of a spiritual seeker. You will be haunted by the truths found beneath the hard stones of Steinbeck's simple language, and will find yourself returning again to this disturbing kingdom of the soul. Combining elements of Christianity, Paganism, and free-form superstition, this book may well cause you to reassess your thoughts on the nature of the mind and of god.

The don't make 'em like the used to

Every great once in a while, a gem of a story falls into your hands, and so it is with "To A God Unknown". I have never understood why this book has not received the notoriety that it well deserves. It is truly Steinbeck's sleeper. I have recently been reading some of the current 'bestsellers' and the Oprah books and have become thoroughly disillusioned and disgusted with what we're killing trees to produce. I think it's time to reread something worthwhile.If only J.S. could be reincarnated.

Haunting and thought provoking

Years ago I read this novel at the urging of my father, a big Steinbeck fan. He said it was 'spooky'. It was tough to understand at the time, and still tough upon rereading now, but that is the beauty of it.. what is being said here? Steinbeck seems to flit back and forth between approval of his main character's actions and warning against them. The message comes through clearly that Nature is a chaotic force, but some devotees have a special connection with it. Nature is truly presented as another religion, perhaps more powerful than the ones we consider mainstream. And like any other religion, the God of nature calls a particular few, sometimes causing division in families . The style is sometimes a bit disconnected, but the book is a definite recommend for deep thinkers. Also particularly interesting is the foreward explaining the origins of the novel's theme and the time and effort it took Steinbeck to write... he spent more time on this novel than on any other. I will pick this up and reread it again, in a few years. It's that kind of book.

It spoke to my soul.

John Steinbeck's "To A God Unknown" reached into my soul and what emerged was a clearer sense of myself. This novel truly spoke to me. It is known that Steinbeck had an adversity toward organized religion, and that fact is evident in the text of this book. What struck me most was the insight into paganism and the worship of nature in its truest, rawest form. Man living in harmony with nature is a recurring theme along with the fact that humans must not desecrate the earth for monetary gains, but rather must understand nature and live within nature's guidelines. Steinbeck's lyrical prose confirms these beliefs that I hold close to my heart