Steinbeck inspired thousands of people who suffered under Nazi occupation.
Propaganda suggests calculated manipulation, something to be condemned, ridiculed, or ignored. But what if the purpose is truly honorable?
This was a problem that John Steinbeck clearly faced early in the Second World War when, in a career move that seemed unusual for a famous author, he welcomed the opportunity to write propaganda pieces for the precursor to the CIA.
A fervent anti-fascist, Steinbeck published a 112-page novella that is often overlooked. The moon sets It was enacted in 1942. Its premise – that civil democracy will outlast and defeat tyranny – is a message that remains relevant today.
Modeled after the Nazi invasion of Norway in 1940. The moon sets It is set in a small mining town in an unnamed Scandinavian-style country that is invaded and occupied by German troops.
To enrich his fiction, Steinbeck interviewed refugees fleeing the Nazis and created his own cast of townsfolk, incorporating their true stories of spies, collaborators, and brutal punishment. The result is a dark but ultimately hopeful psychological study of both conquerors and conquered. However,…
