Sinclair Lewis

Boyhood home of Sinclair Lewis

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Sinclair Lewis House

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Sinclair Lewis with Dorothy Thompson and son 1935

Sinclair Lewis 1944

Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American novelist, short-story writer, and playwright. He was the first writer from the United States to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, awarded in 1930 for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters. His works are known for their insightful and critical views of American capitalism and materialism between the wars. He is also renowned for his strong characterizations of modern working women.

Biography

Harry Sinclair Lewis was born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, to Edwin J. Lewis and Emma Kermott Lewis. He was the youngest of three sons. Lewis began reading books at a young age and kept a diary. He had two siblings, Fred (born in 1875) and Claude (born in 1878). His mother, Emma, died in 1891. The family was not wealthy, but they lived comfortably.

Lewis attended Yale University but took several breaks from his studies to work at various jobs. He finally graduated in 1908. After graduation, he moved to New York City to pursue a career in writing. His early attempts at publishing were not successful, but he persisted, and in 1914, he published his first novel, Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventures of a Gentle Man.

Career

Sinclair Lewis's breakthrough came with the publication of Main Street (1920), a novel that satirized the small-town life of his native Minnesota. The book was a commercial success and established Lewis as a significant American writer. He followed this with Babbitt (1922), a novel that criticized the American culture of success. Both books were critical of American society and its values, which became a recurring theme in Lewis's work.

Lewis continued to write novels that explored different aspects of American society. Arrowsmith (1925), a novel about the medical profession, won the Pulitzer Prize, but Lewis declined the award, stating that he did not believe in literary prizes. He continued to produce significant works, including Elmer Gantry (1927), a critique of evangelism and religious fervor, and Dodsworth (1929), which explored the differences between American and European values and culture.

In 1930, Sinclair Lewis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature, becoming the first American to receive the honor. In his Nobel lecture, Lewis praised the freedom of American literature but criticized its often narrow focus on the lives of the middle class.

Personal Life

Lewis was married twice, first to Grace Livingston Hegger in 1914, with whom he had one son, Wells Lewis, born in 1917. The couple divorced in 1925. In 1928, he married journalist Dorothy Thompson, but the marriage was tumultuous and ended in divorce in 1942. Lewis struggled with alcoholism throughout his life, which affected his health and work.

Later Years and Death

In his later years, Lewis's popularity waned as his later novels failed to achieve the critical and commercial success of his earlier works. He spent much of his time in Europe, particularly in Rome and Paris. Sinclair Lewis died in Rome on January 10, 1951, from advanced alcoholism. He was buried in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, the town that inspired Main Street.

Legacy

Sinclair Lewis's work remains significant for its critical perspective on American society, its exploration of the American dream, and its portrayal of the challenges faced by individuals in the face of societal pressures. His novels are considered classics of American literature, and his critique of American life and culture continues to be relevant.