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| | | OF LIFE AND MEN
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Go to the Listen Again page | | | | | John Steinbeck's friendship with marine biologist Ed Ricketts | | | |
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Howard Stableford travels to Monterey in California to discover the links between Ed Ricketts, a marine biologist and Pulitzer prize-winning writer John Steinbeck, author of "The Grapes of Wrath", "Of Mice and Men" & "Cannery Row".
| | |  | | | Local historian Michael Hemp, Steinbeck fellow Katie Rodger, Howard and Rickett's friend Frank Wright in front of Ed Rickett's lab on Cannery Row | |  Listen again to the programme | |
Of Life and Men
In 1940 two remarkable men, both with a passion for life, set sail on a sardine boat for a 4000 mile voyage. They left Monterey in California to explore the Sea of Cortez. Together they shared a gift of the gab, a keen eye for observation, a love of words and a reverence for all living things. One was Ed Ricketts, a talented young biologist, the other was Pulitzer prize-winning writer, John Steinbeck.
Howard Stableford travels to Rickett’s old lab on Cannery Row in California to find out about this extraordinary friendship and the deep impact it had on each man. He discovers that Ricketts was the inspiration for many of Steinbeck’s characters whilst Steinbeck helped the biologist express his ideas. Ed was ahead of his time in taking a holistic approach to biology and his book "Between Pacific Tides" is still used as a textbook by students today.
Steinbeck had been interested in marine biology even before he met Ricketts and ecological theory influenced his writing – especially "Cannery Row" where he examines the inhabitants and the links between them in the same way a biologist might examine the community of animals in a rock pool. After writing "The Grapes of Wrath" he made a concerted effort to become a respected marine biologist, going with Ed on the collecting expedition around Baja California. Afterwards they wrote a book together, "The Sea of Cortez", describing their adventures and the animals they found. Together they mixed arts and sciences, working in symbiosis as ecologists. | | |
RELATED LINKS | | | National Steinbeck Center
Center for Steinbeck Studies at San Jose State University
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