The Pastures of Heaven

"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.

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, "".