Of all Steinbeck's works, East of Eden is the most epic and ambitious. It tells the story of two families, the Trasks and the Hamiltons, in California's Salinas Valley, drawing inspiration and strength from the biblical story of Cain and Abel. With one foot in realism and the other in a mythical, archetypal conception of the world as an arena where good battles evil, Steinbeck creates some of his most unforgettable characters here, such as Cathy - who embodies absolute evil and transcends it, reaching the cold inhumanity of a machine - and, on the opposite end, the wise Chinese servant, Lee.

In 1955, Elia Kazan based the equally legendary film of the same name on the second half of the book, starring James Dean as Caleb Trask - a Cain who ultimately sheds the burden of his guilt - and Julie Harris as Abra Bacon, the brave and mature girl torn between the two Trask brothers.

Now a classic, "East of Eden" has never ceased to be read since its first publication in 1952.