Tortilla Flat (Folio, A36897)

by John Steinbeck

Thomas Fensch (Introduction)

"Steinbeck is an artists; and he tells the stories of these lovable thieves and adulterers with a gentle and poetic purity of heart and of prose." —New York Herald Tribune

A Penguin Classic

Adopting the structure and themes of the Arthurian legend, John Steinbeck created a “Camelot” on a shabby hillside above the town of Monterey, California, and peopled it with a colorful band of knights. At the center of the tale is Danny, whose house, like Arthur’s castle, becomes a gathering place for men looking for adventure, camaraderie, and a sense of belonging—men who fiercely resist the corrupting tide of honest toil and civil rectitude.
 
As Nobel Prize winner Steinbeck chronicles their deeds—their multiple lovers, their wonderful brawls, their Rabelaisian wine-drinking—he spins a tale as compelling and ultimately as touched by sorrow as the famous legends of the Round Table, which inspired him. This edition features an introduction by Thomas Fensch.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

• ISBN10: 0140187405
• ISBN13: 9780140187403
• Publish Date: 1 June 1997 (first published 26 April 1963)
• Publish Status: Active
• Out of Print: 11 August 2009
• Publish Country: US
• Imprint: Penguin Putnam Inc
• Edition: Revised ed.
• Format: Paperback (US Trade)
• Pages: 208
• Language: English
• URL: https://penguinrandomhouse.com/books/isbn/9780140187403

Reviews

[jamiereadthis]

This earned its spot right next to Cannery Row on my shelf, on a map, and in my heart. The lives of Danny and the boys are as worthy as Mack and the boys, and as criminal, and as happy. I loved it.

It is astounding to find that the belly of every black and evil thing is as white as snow. And it is saddening to discover how the concealed parts of angels are leprous. Honor and peace to Pilon, for he had discovered how to uncover and to disclose to the world the good that lay in every evil thing. Nor was he blind, as so many saints are, to the evil of good things. It must be admitted with sadness that Pilon had neither the stupidity, nor the self-righteousness nor the greediness for reward ever to become a saint.

As Jesus Maria said: “‘You see,’ Jesus Maria said, ‘it is funny. But it squeezes in you, too.’”