Goddamit! There's a god damned John Steinbeck WEREWOLF novel floating around and we can't see it!

[Tommy Carcetti]

https://www.nytimes.com/2021/05/27/books/steinbeck-werewolf-novel.html?smid=tw-nytimes&smtyp=cur

Yes, Steinbeck Wrote a Werewolf Novel. Don’t Expect to Read It.

A scholar of American literature at Stanford says it’s worth publishing. The agents representing the Steinbeck estate strongly disagree.

By Heather Murphy
May 27, 2021
Updated 1:49 p.m. ET
Nine years before John Steinbeck published his Pulitzer Prize-winning historical masterpiece, “The Grapes of Wrath,” he was working on a lighthearted detective novel featuring a werewolf.

The manuscript, “Murder at Full Moon,” was completed in 1930 but was never published. A single copy has been sitting, mostly forgotten, in an archive in Texas since 1969. It includes drawings by Steinbeck himself.

A scholar of American literature at Stanford University is pushing for the book to be published, but the agents for Steinbeck’s estate vehemently refused this week, after the effort was featured in The Guardian.

The professor, Gavin Jones, is undeterred. He dug “Murder at Full Moon” out of the archive at the Harry Ransom Center in Austin while working on a book about Steinbeck. “I’d love to see it published,” he said.

Motherfucking Werewolves by John-Grapes-of-Wrath-and-Of-Mice-and-Men-Motherfucking-Steinbeck.

Quite possibly the fucking coolest thing to ever have been invented, and they won't let us read it because they're Team Edward or whatever.

I feel we need to get the President to weigh in on this.

Joe--if you're listening--order the release of the Steinbeck Werewolf novel, and we'll immediately start fitting Mount Rushmore for your face.

[FalloutShelter]

1. THIS I have to read.

WOW...oh please?

[cinematicdiversions]

2. Release the Steinbeck cut.

Good lord this is a crime against humanity.

[SoonerPride]

3. I bet it is a real howler!

I so wish we could read it

[ShazamIam]

4. I'm intriqued, "archive in Texas," could that be referring to author Larry McMurty's collection?

It is more likely a University but I think McMurty considered Steinbeck to be an authentic, Western, voice and collected rare books and manuscripts.

Edit add: I remembered reading about a fight over the rights to his work, just looked it up. It is apparently at the Supreme Court.

https://www.washingtonpost.com/business/post-names-frederick-j-ryan-jr-as-new-publisher/2014/09/02/78f65bf2-329d-11e4-8f02-03c644b2d7d0_story.html

[Tomconroy]

5. The University of Texas

Has a substantial collection of John Steinbeck's papers.

[TexasBushwhacker]

9. It has a substantial collection of manuscripts period

The collection started over 100 years ago.

https://www.hrc.utexas.edu/collections/early-books-and-manuscripts/

[ismnotwasm]

6. WHAT

Holy shit that would be epic. Literally

[shrike3]

7. I don't even like horror, and I'd like to read it.

[Tomconroy]

8. The Hemingway Estate

Published a few of his unreleased novels over the years. They weren't great literature, but they were interesting reading. The Steinbeck Estate should loosen up and do the same.

[TexasBushwhacker]

10. I agree

What's it to them except MONEY!

[greenjar_01]

14. It's quite possible Steinbeck left instructions not to publish any novels posthumously

I mean, he was one of the most famous novelists in the United States from the late 30's through his death in 1968: he could have had that novel published at any time had he wanted to. He apparently didn't. I'm not against an estate upholding the wishes of the author.

In one notable case, Michel Foucault asked that his unfinished History of Sexuality Volume 4 not be published posthumously (in fact, he specified that no unfinished manuscripts be published, if I recall correctly), a wish his estate upheld until his notes and manuscripts were collected and published last year some time.

[Tomconroy]

16. Judging from the article, there were no such instructions.

. Steinbeck destroyed some unpublished manuscripts, but not this one.

[greenjar_01]

17. Not sure it follows from that evidence that there were no instructions

He also, as I noted, made no effort to see this completed manuscript published when he could have, though they would have been setting it the minute he asked. That's telling.

[ananda]

11. Looks like I haven't read everything by Steinbeck.

I really want to see this book!

[bucolic_frolic]

12. Wow did I struggle with great literature.

Then I was an English major for 6 months. Then armed with business I hated it and wanted to write. I write well, but struggle because i don't have the breadth of understanding of great literature, which seems to be the formulae for great writers nowadays. But there is the idea it's never about the nuts and bolts, it's about the power source.

I actually had to look up The Grapes of Wrath.

[Bev54]

13. What kind of archive is it sitting in?

If it is not in the possession of the of the Steinbeck's estate, do they even own it?

[greenjar_01]

15. It's at the Harry Ransom Center at UT Austin

Estates will often bequeath papers and manuscripts to university rare book rooms for research, while retaining some control over use. That's why academic studies will often thanks and credit both the rare book collection and the estate of the author in acknowledgments. In any case, the Harry Ransom Center would be extremely foolish to disregard the wishes of the Steinbeck estate, since that would signal to any other future donors about what will happen to their papers.