Traces of Steinbeck in Uzbek Literature: Odil Yoqubov’s “Goodness”: Toward an Uzbek-American Literary Dialogue

Abstract This article discusses the traces of the fictional techniques of early Steinbeck in “The White Quail” and “The Chrysanthemums” in the prominent Uzbek author Odil Yoqubov’s short story “Goodness.” Using a comparative literary lens, it approaches similarities between the two authors in terms of subject matter, the ironic use of symbolism, point of view, gender relations, and spatial poetics.