Sinclair Lewis was a novelist and short story writer from the United States. He was the first American to be awarded the Nobel Prize for Literature. Despite the fact that many literary critics disregarded him as a novelist and chastised the Swedish Academy for their decision, few writers of his age had such an impact on American society as he did. He could never establish friends because he was awkward and shy as a child, so he spent a lot of time observing and writing diaries. He later developed a passion for writing and was willing to work any job to support his writing career. To keep afloat, he authored potboilers and sold plots to established writers in addition to working as a journalist and then as an editor. ‘Main Street,’ his sixth published novel, gave him his first taste of success. He went on to write many more best-selling books, but he also became hooked on alcohol. At the age of 65, he died in Rome due to advanced alcoholism.
Childhood and Adolescence
Sinclair Lewis was born on February 7, 1885, to Dr. Edwin J. Lewis and Emma Kermott Lewis in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, then a small community in Steams County. Sinclair was the youngest of three sons born to the marriage.
Sinclair was a sensitive youngster from the start. His harsh disciplinarian father could not comprehend him. When he was just six years old, his mother died. As a result, he grew up without the company of his parents. When his father remarried, though, he began to appreciate his stepmother’s care.
He didn’t have many friends at school because he was tall and awkward, so he spent a lot of time reading. He kept a diary as well. Nonetheless, he had a romantic mind and attempted to flee his home at the age of thirteen in order to join the Spanish-American War as a drummer boy.
When he was in high school, he began writing. A few of his writings appeared in local newspapers in Sauk Center. After finishing high school in 1902, he attended Oberlin College for a year before enrolling at Yale University in 1903.
He took time off from Yale University to work at Helicon Home Colony in New Jersey, interrupting his studies.
During this time, he also traveled to Panama in search of work at the Panama Canal, which was under US jurisdiction at the time.
He eventually returned to Yale and received his diploma in 1908. He was a regular contributor to Yale Literary Magazine during his time at Yale. Later, he scorned these pieces, calling them “reeking with insipid romanticism.” He was also the magazine’s editor for a while.
Sinclair Lewis’s Career
Sinclair Lewis began working as a journalist for various periodicals after graduating from Yale, going from place to place and changing occupations. Simultaneously, he learned the ability to pen short, popular stories, many of which were picked up by a number of publications. He also sold plots to novelist Jack London to supplement his income.
Lewis’ first potboiler fiction, ‘Hike and the Aeroplane,’ was published in 1912 under the alias Tom Graham. ‘Our Mr. Wrenn: The Romantic Adventure of a Gentleman,’ published in 1914 under his own name, was his first significant book. 9000 copies were sold. The storyline was deemed refreshing by reviewers.
He wrote four further books between 1914 and 1919. ‘The Trail of the Hawk: A Comedy of the Seriousness of Life’ (1915), ‘The Job’ (1917), ‘The Innocents: A Story for Lovers’ (1917), and ‘Free Air’ (1918) were among them (1919). None of these books, however, were economically successful.
With the publication of ‘Main Street in 1920, Lewis had his first taste of fame. It was followed by a slew of popular novels, including ‘Babbit’ (1922), ‘Arrowsmith’ (1925), ‘Elmar Gantry’ (1927), and ‘Dodsworth’ (1928). (1929).
During this time, he also published the unsuccessful novels Mantrap’ (1926) and ‘The Man Who Knew Coolidge’ (1928). Lewis also published numerous short pieces for various magazines in addition to his novels. One of them is Walt Disney Pictures’ acquisition of ‘The Little Bear Bongo’ (1930).
Sinclair Lewis wrote 11 further novels in the 1930s and 1940s, 10 of which were published while he was still living. He also wrote a number of short tales, plays, and screenplays. Many of his writings were converted into feature films later on.
Sinclair Lewis, unfortunately, succumbed to alcoholism in the 1930s. He checked into the Austen Riggs Center in Massachusetts in 1937 but left after only ten days because the doctors there gave him an ultimatum that if he wanted to live, he had to stop drinking.
Lewis and writer Lewis Browne went across the United States in the 1940s. ‘The Country Versus the City,’ ‘Has the Modern Woman Made Good?,’ ‘Is the Machine Age Wrecking Civilization?,’ and ‘Can Fascism Happen Here?’ were among the subjects they addressed in front of large audiences throughout these trips.
He then went to Europe in quest of new publishers. Established authors such as Fitzgerald, Hemingway, Dos Passos, and Faulkner had begun to dominate the market by that time. Despite this, he continued to write. ‘World So Wide,’ his final novel, was released after his death.
Sinclair’s Major Projects
His first successful work, ‘Main Street,’ was released on October 23, 1920. It was a labor of love on my part. He began taking notes in 1916 and finished the novel in 1920. Only 180,000 copies were sold in the first six months. Sales hit two million within a few years.
Another of his best-selling books is ‘Babbitt,’ which was released in 1922. It depicts midsize American cities and is a satire of American life and society. Warner Brothers adapted it for cinema twice, the first as a silent picture and the second as a talkie in 1934.
Another of his significant works is ‘It Can’t Happen Here (1935). It is a political fiction set during the advent of fascism in Europe, and it describes an American politician who, after being elected President, takes entire control of the government. It was later adapted for the theater and the big screen.
Achievements and Awards
Lewis’s novel ‘Arrowsmith’ won the Pulitzer Prize in 1925, but he refused to accept it for whatever reason.
Sinclair Lewis was awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930. He was the first American to win the prestigious award. His 1922 novel ‘Babbitt’ was mentioned specifically while delivering the medal.
Personal History and Legacy
In 1914, Sinclair Lewis married Grace Livingston Hegger, a Vogue magazine editor. They had one son, Wells Lewis, who later joined the United States Army and was killed in battle during WWII. In 1925, the couple divorced.
Lewis married Dorothy Thompson, a political newspaper columnist, three years later, on May 14, 1928. In 1942, this marriage also terminated in divorce. Michael Lewis, their son, was an actor with three children: John Paul, Gregory Claude, and Lesley.
Sinclair Lewis died of advanced alcoholism at a small clinic outside Rome on January 10, 1951. He was visiting Europe at the time. His remains were cremated and sent to the United States to be interred in Sauk Center.
Estimated Net worth
Sinclair is one of the wealthiest novelists and one of the most well-known. Sinclair Lewis’ net worth is estimated to be $20 million, according to Wikipedia, Forbes, and Business Insider.