Rediscover: The Moon is Down by John Steinbeck
The Moon is Down is simply brilliant. It’s brilliant as a short novel. It’s brilliant as anti-Nazi propaganda. It’s brilliant in setting, language and tone. It’s as brilliant as The Grapes of Wrath or anything else Steinbeck has written.
Published in 1942 and set in a small unnamed coastal village in Northern Europe (presumably Norway), the novel tells the story of the village being invaded by an unnamed enemy (Germany) that is also at war with England and Russia. The invaders are commanded by “The Leader” (Hitler).
As the occupying force imposes their will upon the “free men” of the village to work in a coal mine, the invaders start to realize that maybe they hadn’t “conquered” the villagers after all. The soldiers of the occupying force start turning up dead, and as they kill more villagers in retribution for these murders, the stronger the villagers fight back. In fact, the villagers (free men) will never bow in defeat to the occupying army. One enemy officer laments “the flies have conquered the flypaper.”
This short novel was secretly published throughout occupied Europe and used as anti-Nazi propaganda to great effect. It was secretly translated into French, Norwegian, Dutch, Danish, Swedish, German, Italian and Russian. Mere possession of this book had harsh consequences. In fascist Italy, for instance, if you were found with this novel it was punishable by death.
Steinbeck was truly an American writer of great depth and feeling and The Moon is Down sits proudly on my bookshelf next to The Grapes of Wrath, Cannery Row, Of Mice and Men, East of Eden, Travels with Charley and Tortilla Flat.
Dan @ Central