Speed
Sinclair Lewis
Harry Sinclair Lewis was born on 7th February 1885 in the village of Sauk Centre, Minnesota.Childhood was lonely. He was ungainly looking—red-headed, tall, overly thin, stricken with acne and somewhat pop-eyed—making friends and meeting girls were difficult for him. At 13 he unsuccessfully absconded from home in an attempt to become a drummer boy in the Spanish-American War.
In late 1902 Lewis left home for the Oberlin Academy in preparation for Yale University. At Oberlin, he developed a religious enthusiasm that ebbed and flowed for his remaining teenage years. The following year he was at Yale but did not receive his degree until 1908, having taken time off to work at Upton Sinclair's cooperative-living colony in Englewood, New Jersey, and to travel to Panama.
Lewis's earliest published creative work—romantic poetry and short sketches—appeared in some Yale magazines, one of which he later became editor of. After graduation Lewis moved location and jobs several times trying to make ends meet whilst writing fiction for publication.
In working for newspapers and publishing houses he developed a knack for churning out short stories for magazines. He also earned money by selling plots to Jack London.
Lewis first published ‘Hike and the Aeroplane’ in 1912 under a pseudonym. A couple of years later his books were rather more serious in tone and by 1930 he was the first American author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was awarded "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters."
Amongst his classics which changed the shape of American fiction were ‘Main Street’, ‘Babbitt’, ‘Arrowsmith’ (for which he received but declined the 1926 Pulitzer Prize), ‘Elmer Gantry’, ‘Dodsworth’ and his prediction of a US fascist dictator in ‘It Can’t Happen Here.’
As well as novels, he wrote numerous short stories, plays and other articles.
Sinclair Lewis died in Rome on 10th January 1951, aged 65, from advanced alcoholism.
Author - Sinclair Lewis.
Narrator - Eric Meyers.
Published Date - Friday, 16 January 2026.
Copyright - © 2025 Deadtree Publishing ©.
Location:
United States
Description:
Harry Sinclair Lewis was born on 7th February 1885 in the village of Sauk Centre, Minnesota.Childhood was lonely. He was ungainly looking—red-headed, tall, overly thin, stricken with acne and somewhat pop-eyed—making friends and meeting girls were difficult for him. At 13 he unsuccessfully absconded from home in an attempt to become a drummer boy in the Spanish-American War. In late 1902 Lewis left home for the Oberlin Academy in preparation for Yale University. At Oberlin, he developed a religious enthusiasm that ebbed and flowed for his remaining teenage years. The following year he was at Yale but did not receive his degree until 1908, having taken time off to work at Upton Sinclair's cooperative-living colony in Englewood, New Jersey, and to travel to Panama. Lewis's earliest published creative work—romantic poetry and short sketches—appeared in some Yale magazines, one of which he later became editor of. After graduation Lewis moved location and jobs several times trying to make ends meet whilst writing fiction for publication. In working for newspapers and publishing houses he developed a knack for churning out short stories for magazines. He also earned money by selling plots to Jack London. Lewis first published ‘Hike and the Aeroplane’ in 1912 under a pseudonym. A couple of years later his books were rather more serious in tone and by 1930 he was the first American author to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was awarded "for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters." Amongst his classics which changed the shape of American fiction were ‘Main Street’, ‘Babbitt’, ‘Arrowsmith’ (for which he received but declined the 1926 Pulitzer Prize), ‘Elmer Gantry’, ‘Dodsworth’ and his prediction of a US fascist dictator in ‘It Can’t Happen Here.’ As well as novels, he wrote numerous short stories, plays and other articles. Sinclair Lewis died in Rome on 10th January 1951, aged 65, from advanced alcoholism. Author - Sinclair Lewis. Narrator - Eric Meyers. Published Date - Friday, 16 January 2026. Copyright - © 2025 Deadtree Publishing ©.
Language:
English