21. American literature

John Steinbeck often wrote about poor working-class people and their struggle to lead a decent life during depression. He won a Nobel Prize in literature. His best novel is The Grapes of Wrath. It is a picture of a poor family, which is exploited by the fruit-growers in California. Other famous work is Of Mice and Men. It is a novella, it tells the tragic story of George and Lennie, two ranch workers during the Great Depression in California.

Francis Scott Fitzgerald is one of the greatest writers of 20th century. His masterpiece is The Great Gatsby. The story tells about Jay Gatsby who was a millionaire, he was in love with Daisy. They met long time before when Jay was poor. After the war he became rich and they met again. (Most of his money came from smuggles alcohol and it was in 1920s illegal in the US.) But Daisy was already married with Tom. Tom cheated on her with Myrtle and at the end Gatsby was shoot by Myrtle’s husband.

William Styron wrote an excellent novel called Sophie’s Choice. It is about a Polish woman who while imprisoned in concentration camp was forced to make a cruel choice – which of her two children would survive and which will be killed. Her life in the USA after the war was influenced by the bitter war experience.

Ken Kesey gained fame with first book, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest. It is a story of a man who pretends to be mad in order to escape imprisonment. It was made into an Oscar-winning movie directed by Miloš Forman.

John Irving achieved international success with his novels The World According to Garp and The Cider House Rules. His novels have been made into movies.
The World According to Garp describe his life from his birth to his death. Another important character is his mutter, she is a feminist and a nurse.
The Cider House Rules is about Homer, people working in an apple orchard and black girl Rose Rose.