East of Eden, novel by John Steinbeck, published in 1952. It is a symbolic re-creation of the biblical story of Cain and Abel woven into a history of California’s Salinas Valley.

In the beginning of East of Eden, before introducing his characters, Steinbeck carefully establishes the setting with a description of the Salinas Valley in Central California.

Steinbeck called East of Eden "a sort of autobiography of the Salinas Valley."

East of Eden, the autobiographical novel John Steinbeck described as his “marathon book,” portrayed Salinas, California at the turn of the 20th century as a small place with big problems.