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ro m Ca rmel to Sa n Simeo n , the w ell- preserved , billboa rd-free stretch of coas tal Ca liforni a know n as Bi g Sur (" big south " in Spani sh) draws nea rl y fo ur milli o n to urists every yea r, m any o f w ho m are Jo hn Steinbeck pilg rims. Th e auth o r w as b o rn in Salina s in 1902, a nd 1na ny o f hi s mo st fa mou s w o rks fea ture n ea rb y Mont e rey a nd Big Sur. The N atio nal Steinbeck C enter in Salinas and M o nterey's wa terfront street of Ca nnery R ow are loca l literary shrin es . But there are quite a few m o re booki sh spots one ca n discover in Bi g Sur, g uided by sun shin e and a handy list of attrac tio ns.

M o nte rey's less recogni ze d R o b e rt Lo u is Stevenson H o use is o ne such locatio n. Fo rme rl y th e Fre nch H o tel, th e 183os- era ho use was a sig nifica nt locatio n in an un conve ntio nal literary love sto ry.

The Scottish - born Steve nson mo ved to Monterey to pursue Fanny O sbourn e, eleven yea r s hi s se nior, whom he h ad fa llen in love with in France. H e repo rt-

edly li ved at th e French H otel whil e he waited for Fann y to di vorce her philanderin g hu sband .

In 19 37, th e hi st o ri c ad o be buildin g was purc h ase d by Edith C . van Antwerp and Mrs. C. To bin C lark , w ho presented it to th e state of Ca lifornia as a m emo rial, and it is now part of the M o nterey State Hi storic Park . Th e ho use displ ays Stevenson mem o rabili a, incl uding m any articles of furniture, first editio ns, m anusc ripts, and personal belon gings don ated by m e mb e rs of his famil y. The hou se o ffe rs edu ca ti o n al program s and li vely debates such as " Fann y O sbourne: W as she good fo r Stevenson's life?"

The Stevenson house is not w ith out its controversy. " Th ere wasn't a lot of docum entatio n that Stevenson ac tu all y stayed th ere," sa id Michael D . G reen , interpreti ve program coo rdinato r fo r M o nterey State Histo ric Park, " but there is a great dea l of community folklo re, and even the c urato rs feel that th e re is suffi cie nt ev i-

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Land of temptation, indulgence, and escape for generations of writers dence to say that he had." The house is also rumored to be ha unted by a mysterious "woman in black"-a legend instigated by a long-retired history guide and perpetuated through the years by various media outlets. However, Green said, "The only oddness in the house is the number of rumors and conjectures surrounding ghosts."

Green observed that Stevenson is underappreciated in modern times with few under the age of thirty aware of h is literary contributions. He said, "The general public doesn't give him enough credit for how prolific and eloquent his works really are, and are more interested in his personal life events than literary accomplishments." In his novella, Strange Case cif Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, for example, the notion of good and evil residing in the same person was first explored, late r influ-

By Lili DeBarbieri

John Steinbeck's novel, Cannery Row, is set among the sardine fisheries in Monterey.

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Poet Robinson Jeffers modeled his forty-foot Hawk Tower after Yeats' Thoor Ballylee.lt is now preserved by the Tor House Foundation .

In Carmel by the Sea, Stevenson aficionados can view Point Lobos State Natural Reserve's dramatic cliffs and coves, considered by scholars to have inspired the book Treasure Island and later used in the1934 film adaptation.

Literary tourists to Big Sur should also consider a stop at the Mission San Carlos Borromeo del Rio Carmelo. Founded in 1771, it is one of California's most important heritage sites, and its library is said to be the first library in the state. There are also three museums, a basilica, and a gallery, celebrating the art, sculpture, and history ofthe Carmel Mission.

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encing the study of psychoanalysis. According to Fanny's diary, the first draft ofjekyll was inspired by a dream but was almost entirely destroyed by Stevenson after Fanny commented that the work was too "allegorical."

Treasure Island, a work that resonates with a younger generation, was written for Stevenson's stepson, who had a fascination with pirates. Eight miles south of Monterey, in Carmel by the Sea, Stevenson aficionados can view Point Lobos State Natural Reserve's dramatic cliffs and coves, considered by scholars to have inspired the book Treasure Island and later used in the 1934 film adaptation.

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site with another literary love story in its backdrop, the Robinson Jeffers Tor House, is also in Carmel.

Poet Robinson Jeffers built Tor House and Hawk Tower by hand for his wife Una and their sons at the beginning of the twentieth century. Considered an architectural marvel, and modeled after a Tudor barn, the weatherresistant, low-lying house contains two attic bedrooms, a main floor guest room, the living room, a tiny kitchen, and a single bathroom. The house's granite stones were taken from the cove below the house. Tor House eventually became a literary hotspot, hosting Sinclair Lewis, Edna St. Vincent Millay, and Langston Hughes .

Jeffers' forty-foot Hawk Tower was modeled after Yeats' Thoor Ballylee. It is complete with a dungeon, secret passage, and spectacular views of Carmel Bay. The tower served as a play area for the children with a separate room for Una. Jeffers wrote of the tower: "I built her a tower when she was young, sometime she will die, I built it with

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my own hands, I hung stones in the sky."

Jeffers and Una's dramatic love affair started in 1905 at the University of Southern California, where Jeffers pursued medicine and forestry before becoming a poet.

Although Una was married at the time to a local attorney, she and Jeffers had an on-again-off-again relationship, that culminated in their marriage in 1914 which lasted for the next thirty-seven years.

The Tor House Foundation aims to preserve the home as though Jeffers had just stepped out for a while but would soon return . To achieve this end , the house retains all of the family furniture . Special collections include many first editions located in its library. Although open only to scholars by appointment, the library is viewable to the public during limited tours.

Jeffers penned all of his major poetical works in Tor House. "Through his writings Jeffers set the stage in terms ofhow we think about this wonderful part of California," said Vince Huth, president of the Tor House Foundation.

His poetry introduced Big Sur to a national audience.

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he Henry Miller Library is dedicated to the works of another literary prophet. Miller's works and literary style eventually influenced the Beat generation of American literature, pornography laws , and even the sexual revolution. A well-known attraction that's easy to miss, Miller's Library is set in the center of a secluded redwood grove . Miller's engraved words "one should cultivate an interest in life" can be read on the gate surrounding the property.

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Miller lived in Big Sur between 1944 and 1962, first discovering the area while traveling and writing his novel The Air-Conditioned Nightmare. Although Miller wrote Big Sur and the Oranges of Hieronymus Bosch as an ode to Big Sur, ironically it is author Jack Kerouac who brings most people to the library. It is said that Kerouac visited poet and bookseller Lawrence Ferlinghetti's cabin in Big Sur in early 1960 and wrote Big Sur based on his experience there. "He's associated with Big Sur area through his novel and overall better known, at least in America," said Magnus Toren, the library's executive director. However, visitors quickly take away a deeper knowledge of Miller's life, his importance to American literature, and the history of censorship in America.

Opened in 1981, the library was formally dedicated to Miller's life and works. "Our little bookstore and art gallery far from civilization has a city feel far away from any city, and is peculiarly non-commercial-there are no pushy salespeople or atmosphere, and patrons react to that in a positive way," said Toren. But as is frequently the case with Miller, controversy surrounded his name even in the bohemian Big Sur. "Some people in the community resent the attention the library brings; people who live here throughout the year dream of having the Big Sur all to themselves," Torren said. " This unwanted attention sometimes happens when someone famous moves to an area, and Miller is no exception." But the positives of the library's mission outweigh any negative community reception. Having survived ebbs and flows, the library creates a sense of place and history, a timelessness and continuity in the community. Though, he added, "Some people get angry if we change a chair. They want nothing to change ... ever."

The library's Henry Miller archives project has a significa nt collection ofletters and manuscripts from the 1920s and 1930s, before and during Miller's Paris years. Not entirely preserved yet, the scanned works are only accessible in digital format. After the University of California, Los Angeles , the library has the most important primary

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resources in which to research Miller.

A short drive up the road from the library, hungry travelers can stop by Nepenthe restaurant, at one time Miller's first home in the area. Miller actually stayed in the log house above the modern day restaurant. Prior to that, Orson Welles and Rita Hayworth briefly owned a cabin on the property. Bill and Lolly Fassett purchased the property from Hayworth and would eventually expand it into a restaurant, which they called Nepenthe, a Greek word meaning "isle of no care." A neighbor by then, Henry Miller used to frequent the restaurant with friends like Salvador Dali. Miller was an avid ping-pong player and regularly played in the restaurant over bottles ofCourvoisier. Imagine having a Midnight in Paris moment and walking into that.

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earst Castle is the farthest point south along Big Sur in San Simeon. The former home of publishing mogul William Randolph Hearst, the castle has a fairy-tale quality with unparalleled views of the ocean, coast, and rolling green hills when viewed from the tour bus leading up to the property.

Built between 1919 and 1947, Hearst Castle was once "a lightning rod for literature," said museum director Hoyt Fields , since Hearst often invited authors to visit. One of his guests, Irvin S. Cobb, in his autobiography Exit Laughing, called Hearst a prodigious ftgure who, " like a miraculous juggler, could keep a dozen spheres in the air at once-yet ftnd time for building fabulous palaces and gorgeous playhouses; for collecting the finest and the largest collection of antiques and art treasures ever assembled." Book lovers can take advantage of his collecting legacy and browse the castle's second-floor guest library or Hearst's private "gothic study" containing 3,8oo volumes.

According to Cobb, Hearst " does seem to fancy himself as chosen to be God Almighty's ghostwriter." Indeed Hearst was a publisher and a writer. He wrote scripts for home movies, editorials, a newspaper column, and occasional poetry. A framed poem in the largest of the three guest cottages, Casa del Mar, was written by Hearst for Pepi, the niece of Marion Davies, his long time mistress:

Believe it or not Pepi, this is the spot To bring up your favorite beau.

If he doesn't get sappy and tell you how happy A word from his sweetheart will make him Then he's just a big dunce and devoid of romance And the best thing to do is shake him.

A lack of romance has never plagued Big Sur. Whether a fan of Steinbeck, Stevenson, Jeffers, Miller, Kerouac, or Hearst, there's literary gold to be mined along California's central coast. ~ Lili DeBarbieri is a Tucson-based freelance w riter.

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An aerial view of the Hearst Castle estate.

The main house, Casa Grande, and three guest houses were built in the Mediterranean Revival style to complement Hearst's large collection of European and Mediterranean art.

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