Adopting the structure and themes of the Arthurian legend, John Steinbeck created a āCamelotā on a shabby hillside above the town of Monterey, California, and peopled it with a colorful band of knights. At the center of the tale is Danny, whose house, like Arthurās castle, becomes a gathering place for men looking for adventure, camaraderie, and a sense of belongingāmen who fiercely resist the corrupting tide of honest toil and civil rectitude. As Nobel Prize winner Steinbeck chronicles their deedsātheir multiple lovers, their wonderful brawls, their Rabelaisian wine-drinkingāhe spins a tale as compelling and ultimately as touched by sorrow as the famous legends of the Round Table, which inspired him.