A Short Story by John Steinbeck published in The Strand for the first time
***For the latest issue with John Steinbeck’s “The Amiable Fleas” please follow this link***
The job of putting together each issue of The Strand presents a unique blend of both joys and challenges for everyone involved. For me, one of the joys is discovering new and unpublished works by literary legends. Finding a previously unpublished short story by John Steinbeck has to rank as one of the more thrilling moments of my career as an editor. Steinbeck wrote “With Your Wings” during World War II, some time between 1943 and 1944, for a radio series called Ceiling Unlimited hosted by Orson Welles, who read the story on air for the broadcast. To the best of my knowledge, and that of the Steinbeck estate, it’s never been published before.“With Your Wings” is a perfect example of why John Steinbeck is relevant today, and why his books are still required reading in schools around the world. The story, though short in length, contains many of the elements found in Steinbeck’s longer works. In this beautifully written piece about a young African-American airman returning home, Steinbeck says so much with so little. He sets the mood perfectly with his trademark lyrical prose and delivers a progressive message well ahead of its time. I’d like to extend a big thank-you to Rick Watson at the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas at Austin for all his help during my research, and to Shira Hoffman of the McIntosh & Otis agency for helping us secure permission to publish this stunning short story.For more info visit www.strandmag.com(Excerpt from the editorial of the Strand’s Holiday Issue)
For the latest issue with John Steinbeck’s “The Amiable Fleas” please follow this link.
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