Geniul simplității! Cartierul Tortilla este locul oamenilor saraci, a celor care trăiesc de azi pe mâine. Steinbeck crează o lume colorată,simplă și totuși profundă.Deși sunt săraci cei cinci prieteni ne dau lecții simple de viață și loialitate.Pentru ei viața nu e complicată ai nevoie de ajutor ei te ajută; ai greșit plătești; trebuie ridicat moralul celui mai bun prieten se sacrifică și merg la muncă. Cred că e romanul cu cea mai tranziția acțiune,dar cu o morală profundă.

Tortilla Flat is an early Steinbeck novel published in 1935. Sir Thomas Malory's Le Morte D'Arthur was an inspiration, and you can see Steinbeck’s love of King Arthur and the Knights of the Round Table. Each chapter about Danny and his friends is its own tale.

“It ruined a story to have it all come out quickly. The good story lay in half-told things which must be filled in out of the hearer’s own experience.”

“Approaching death wears a cloak no one ever mistakes.”

“That is the way life goes, never the way you planned.”
—John Steinbeck

Semplicemente delizioso! Finale bellissimo, dolce con un po’ di tristezza.
Unica pecca: la traduzione andrebbe rinfrescata, con tutto il rispetto per Vittorini ....
Apprezzato molto il dizionario dei personaggi ( come già in Vicolo Cannery)
Grande Steinbeck ! Grazie amici di Goodreads per avermelo fatto conoscere ed amare!

Briefly, Danny, the chief protagonist in this novel, returns from the war to Tortilla Flat (a paisano district that sits upon a hillside above Monterey), to find he has inherited two houses. What then follows is a comedic tale that fundamentally can be summed up in 5 words - wine, friendship, food, women and err..wine again :o)

This is the first John Steinbeck novel I've had the pleasure of reading, and quite simply it has left an indelible mark on me. What captivates me in the first instance is the remarkable talent Mr. Steinbeck shows in the quality of his prose. He demonstrates an incredible talent for expressing himself literarily, and in the most poetic way. I could provide endless examples but as an illustration, instead of penning something simple such as "the Pirate used his wheelbarrow to help Danny", Mr. Steinbeck eloquently scribes it as "then borrowing the Pirate's wheelbarrow and the Pirate to push it, Danny..", which, like the most of the sentences in Tortilla Flat, read like silk.

If the quality of Mr. Steinbeck's prose forms one half of the success of Tortilla Flat, then the sublime depth of his characterisation fills the other half. Mr. Steinbeck succeeds at magnificently bringing his characters to life. Every one is profoundly realised, with each possessing their own idiosyncratic yet appealing qualities. It is a difficult choice to make but the most endearing character for me is "The Pirate', the man `whose head had not grown up with the rest of his body'. Conscientious, hard-working, a man of simple pleasure (a pleasure that consists of him either showing affection for his dogs, or working towards winning the approval of his friends), the Pirate epitomizes how a humble, honest and largely pious life should be lived, which superbly juxtaposes the lifestyles of the other friends in the group (well, with the exception of Big Joe Portagee :o)) which are as far from pious as one could get.

This is not to say that Danny and his friends never show good intentions at heart. Mr. Steinbeck is masterful at setting his characters on a path of good intention, only for them to either falter, or to manipulate circumstance to meet their own needs. This happens a lot, and more often than not, wine plays a role as either the primary motive or betrayer.

I truly loved reading Tortilla Flat. It is a delightful story, with magnificent characters, and I would consider it to be a work of absolute genius. I never thought it could be possible to be completely captivated by an author on the strength of reading one book, but I can state without fear of contradiction that Mr. John Steinbeck, thanks to Tortilla Flat, has found a rare place in my heart. I look forward to discovering the rest of his collection.

Tortilla Flat is quite a number of things. On the surface, it's a short novel about a group of friends with certain proclivities towards drinking wine. A lot of wine. On another level it's supposedly a retelling of the Knights of the Round Table, but I am not even going to front like I know enough about that to appreciate that connection at its depths. On another level, suiting our economic times, it's also about rising up in social classes -- how difficult it is to do, what happens to us and our friends and family when that change occurs, and how easy it is to undo. (While typing that I came to the realization that Tortilla Flat has quite a few things in common with one of my favorite movies, Trading Places.)

Tortilla Flat is a poor, close-knit community near Monterey. Steinbeck's novel of the same name revolves around the stories of its residents -- who themselves star and indulge in their fair amount of gossip and storytelling -- but especially a group of friends who find themselves indebted to one of their own. Danny, upon returning from a stint of cattle herding and shepardship during the war, finds that his grandfather has passed and left him not one but two houses. Being a landowner even now holds a certain amount of distinction, and in Tortilla Flat it holds even more. Slowly, Danny and his group of friends move through various stages of response to Danny's inheritance. Guilt, jealousy, selfishness, acceptance, sharing, obligation, appreciation, etc. The transitions are difficult for all involved, but the group of friends finds communal bliss for a time when they are all living under one roof, contributing to one another's goals and well-being.

A few reviews on Goodreads argue that Steinbeck displays some unflattering thoughts about who he calls "paisanos" -- and while obviously I am perhaps not in the best place to make an argument either way, I would say that, reading into it, and knowing a bit about Steinbeck, I didn't quite have that impression, though I can possibly understand why others might. But if nothing else, Tortilla Flat lends a romantic air to the lives of its characters, and Steinbeck seems to be rallying against the notion of property ownership and riches and the effect they have on the people who come into them (unless these things are used for a greater good than one's own). Not to mention, Steinbeck's house/the Steinbeck museum is also part museum about the experience of migrant workers, as he was particularly passionate about their issues.

In addition to the influence of economic statuses, Tortilla Flat has a lot to say about judging lest ye be judged. The friends, at times, are not all that great to each other -- they do mean, selfish things in the name of money, wine, and love. But then one realizes that most of us have done terrible things in our time in the name of money, wine, and love. The men and women who roam Tortilla Flat are more forgiving and understanding than most, particularly if repentance comes in the form of wine (which I can totally get behind).

Like other Steinbeck works I've read there's this beautiful balance between the sweet and the sour in Tortilla Flat. Steinbeck gut-punches your heart and cuddles it like a soft creature in about equal measure. I have gone back and forth on whether or not I think he's a pessimist or an optimist (thanks to this book, I have been doing that a lot), and I feel like maybe he's a realistic optimist and that's part of why he resonates deep inside my soul, but, you know, maybe not. Either way, Steinbeck gets me on a very emotional level that feels wrought from my own muscle and tissue, and for even just that alone, I'll continue to pick up and devour his books.

Loved this story! The descriptions of Monterey take me right back there.

This is a charming and humorous tale of the adventures of a group of erstwhile paisanos in California after World War I. I was confused when I started this because they were addressing each other as "thee" and "thou", and I did not think this was a common patois of southern California at this time in history. Then I read in the book description that Steinbeck had based the book on Camelot and used the structure and themes of Arthurian legends, and it made a little more sense.

However, as I kept reading the entertaining exploits of Danny, Pilon, Pancho, the Pirate, Jesus Maria, and Big Joe, I was forcibly reminded of Don Quixote. Steinbeck's characters' playfulness, their devotion and loyalty to each other, their genial view on life in general, it all just reminded me of Don Quixote and his faithful sidekick. Their ability to turn every situation to fit their view, their generosity and ready sympathy for the downtrodden, and their quick forgiveness to those who have wronged them seemed to echo the defining principles of Quixote as he travelled about in his quest.

Despite their complete disregard for the law or the rights of possessions of others, you cannot help but be charmed by this lovable group of loafers. They spend their days idling in the sun, calculating ways and means to assuage their constant desire for wine. While they are known to indulge in an occasional lie or act of petty theft, they are quick to defend their friends or offer aid to anyone in need. I found the ending a fitting finale as the book closed on the adventures of this merry band.

John Steinbeck is a master American storyteller whose work is always a treat for me to read. Tortilla Flat is one of three of his works I have planned for this year and got me off to a rousing start. Tortilla Flat is the first of Steinbeck’s novels that takes place in Monterey, California. He gives readers a sense of the era of the Depression as well as the place and the scenery. The characters of Danny and his friends were comical and fun to read about their exploits as they cope with having little money but an expensive taste in wine and women. The writing is not quite at the level of Mac and friends in Cannery Row yet still flows well. One can tell that this was one of Steinbeck’s earlier works as his writing isn’t as polished here; however, a less than stellar Steinbeck still rates among some of the best writing. While Cannery Row is my favorite at this point, Tortilla Flat was still an entertaining read. I got to immerse myself in Steinbeck’s Monterey again and read the book that got his career off the ground. I look forward to reading the other of his books I have planned for later in the year as I know that one of Steinbeck’s stories will always be a gem.

4 stars

I was glad to return to Steinbeck and his eccentric anti-heroes who divert the focus from the brightest elements of society in order to illuminate the sordid, the dusty and the marginalized. I was, once again, spellbound by Steinbeck's ability to artfully stand up to the cruelty of capitalism, the fierce racism and to dismantle the American Dream with comical and often outlandish situations that had me shaking my head while reading.

Tortilla Flat is the name of a neigborhood in the city of Monterrey. Full of ramshackle houses and people coping with their daily lives during the Great Depression, Steinbeck introduces a motley array of characters, or paisanos, the Spanish term he uses in the novel, who appear and disappear from a house inherited by one of the main characters giving way to the most unusual situations. Hilariously apathetic and lazily chaotic could define the tempo of the narration with sporadic bursts of lyricism that will glow in full bloom in future novellas.

A tale of camaraderie, friendship, the hardships of life but mostly, about wine.
It reminded me of Cannery Row but lacked the charm of a strong lead character and the poetic descriptions of the sea and surrounding areas of Monterrey that his later works never fail to provide.
All in all, Steinbeck proved to be the perfect companion for this scorching summer and the long nights staring up at the dark vault with glowing holes with a good glass of wine at hand and the slow beat of light music sounding somewhere else, distant but familiar.

عندما ترتفع سيعرف أصدقائك من أنت، ولكن عندما تسقط ستعرف أنت من أصدقائك.

The Claim: Tortilla Flat "tells the stories of these lovable thieves and adulterers with a gentle and poetic purity of heart and of prose." (New York Herald Tribune)

The Reality: Tortilla Flat tells the stories of a band of perpetually drunken, sexist buffoons who have no endearing qualities whatsoever. Steinbeck compares his cast of characters to the Knights of the Round Table. This is an insult to the good people of Camelot.

I loved this book. I did. Here's why: simple, straightforward, but oh-so-charming storytelling. No pretenses. What you see, is what you get. Danny. Pilon. Big Joe Portagee. Pablo Sanchez. Jesus Maria Corcoran. Pirate and his dogs. Some might argue that none of these are great characters. You might even make the (valid) point that each one is a 'failure' of sorts--since between them they're barely surviving by the world's standards. They live to drink and drink to live. But are they happy? Yes! These are happy-go-lucky guys that know what they want out of life. Wine and women--but no commitments or responsibilities.

The story is essentially this: a young man--a soldier--returns from World War I to learn that he has inherited two houses. After some time in jail, he remembers his new-found wealth and decides to take up residence in one of the houses. But right from the start, Danny is a magnet for like-minded men who love this free and easy lifestyle. First Pilon. Then Pablo. Then the others. These men take up with him because essentially there's just one rule: the bed is off limits. Danny's bed is Danny's bed. The only other rule is share and share alike. IF and when you find yourself in the possession of a gallon or jug of wine (or any other alcoholic beverage) you have to share with everyone living there. Likewise, food is to be shared. No rent is required.

The storytelling. It is so good. So humorous. So accessible. There's a rightness about it. It would be hard to pick a favorite chapter, but I'll narrow it down to two.

I loved "How Danny Was Ensnared By A Vacuum-Cleaner and How Danny's Friends Rescued Him." It was just so funny. Essentially, the story goes something like this. Danny is seduced by a local woman, Dolores Engracia Ramirez ("Sweets" Ramirez). When Danny happens across some money--a rare event as you'll see if you pick this one up--he decides to buy a present for his girl, who in an equally rare state-of-mind has decided to be a one-man woman...temporarily at least. What does he buy her? A vacuum cleaner! The problem? No one in Tortilla Flat has electricity! Does this make the present any less appreciated? No! Sweets prides herself on being the only one with this fancy sweeping tool. And she never ceases to bring it up in conversation. She's seen rolling it around her house and making humming-motor noises. Anyway, hysterical as that is--and I suppose you'll have to trust me on that--his friends aren't happy with Danny's infatuation. So they decide to steal the vacuum and trade it for a gallon or two of wine. So they return home and tell Danny...


The friends received him in silence when he entered Danny's house. He set one jug on the table and the other on the floor.
"I have brought you a present to take to the lady," he told Danny. "And here is a little wine for us."
They gathered happily, for their thirst was a raging fire. When the first gallon was far gone, Pilon held his glass to the candlelight and looked through it. "Things that happen are of no importance," he said. "But from everything that happens, there is a lesson to be learned. By this we learn that a present, especially to a lady, should have no quality that will require a further present. Also we learn that it is sinful to give presents of too great value, for they excite greed."
The first gallon was gone. The friends looked at Danny to see how he felt about it. He had been very quiet, but now he saw that his friends were waiting on him.... (109)



I'll leave you hanging as to what happens next. My second favorite adventure is "How Danny's Friends Threw Themselves To The Aid of a Distressed Lady."

I loved these characters. They're all distinct and wonderfully flawed. Though these men are very simple and seemingly simple-minded, there is a wisdom at times in their words.


Pilon complained, "It is not a good story. There are too many meanings and too many lessons in it. Some of those lessons are opposite. There is not a story to take into your head. It proves nothing."
"I like it," said Pablo. "I like it because it hasn't any meaning you can see, and still it does seem to mean something, I can't tell what." (168)



I recommend this one to folks wanting to read a classic...but who feel somewhat intimidated and bored by more traditional 'classics.' It was just a joy to keep reading.