The Miracle of Saint Francis

Appropriating the structure and themes of the Arthurian cycle, Steinbeck imagined a new "Camelot castle", located it on one of the poor hills surrounding the city of Monterey, California, and gave it a very peculiar group of "knights" as inhabitants. At the centre of this story is Danny, whose home, like King Arthur's castle, becomes a meeting place for all those who yearn for adventure, camaraderie and a sense of belonging. Men from diverse backgrounds whose ancestors came to settle in California hundreds of years ago, oblivious to the complications of the American way of life, steadfastly resist honest work and the ocean of civic rectitude that surrounds them on all sides. They are charming rascals, idlers dedicated to gossip and drunkenness, theft and brawls, but whose coarse morality is combined with high aspirations and touching innocence. In them, calculation and cunning are mixed with dedication to others and altruism. The Miracle of Saint Francis is a unique portrait of these simple folk. Published in 1935, it was John Steinbeck's first great success.