My Dog Ate My Masterpiece

From today’s Writer’s Almanac:

It was on this day in 1937 that John Steinbeck published his novel Of
Mice and Men, the story of two migrant farm workers, George Milton
and his simple-minded friend, Lennie Small, who dream of owning their
own place and living off the fat of the land.
….
Steinbeck wanted the story of the novel to be simple, like a
children’s story, even though it would have a tragic, violent ending.
He had almost finished his first draft of the novel when his dog tore
the manuscript to shreds. He eventually rewrote the novel and it was
published on this day in 1937. The play was produced soon after, and
both the novel and the play were huge successes.

(Thanks, Dan!)

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