Occupied by enemy troops, a small, peaceable town comes face-to-face
with evil imposed from the outside--and betrayal born within the
close-knit community
A Penguin Classic
In this masterful tale set in Norway during World War II, Steinbeck
explores the effects of invasion on both the conquered and the
conquerors. As he delves into the emotions of the German commander and
the Norwegian traitor, and depicts the spirited patriotism of the
Norwegian underground, Steinbeck uncovers profound, often unsettling
truths about war--and about human nature.
Nobel Prize winner John Steinbeck's self-described "celebration of the
durability of democracy" had an extraordinary impact as Allied
propaganda in Nazi-occupied Europe. Despite Axis efforts to suppress it
(in Fascist Italy, mere possession of the book was punishable by death),
The Moon is Down was secretly translated into French, Norwegian,
Danish, Dutch, Swedish, German, Italian and Russian; hundreds of
thousands of copies circulated throughout Europe, making it by far the
most popular piece of propaganda under the occupation. Few literary
works of our time have demonstrated so triumphantly the power of ideas
in the face of cold steel and brute force. This edition features an
introduction by Donald V. Coers.
For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of
classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700
titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works
throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the
series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and
notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as
up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.
