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Sinclair Lewis

I purchased Kingsblood Royal, and read portions of it, because of the civil rights angle, i.e., a prominent "white" man discovers he has one distant black ancestor, and begins to explore African-American culture.

Sinclair Lewis was the first American to win a Nobel Prize, if I remember correctly.

I think I noticed that he dedicated one book to Edith Wharton, but I may be mistaken.

http://www.npg.si.edu/exh/wharton/slewis.htm

In 1921, when Sinclair Lewis's book Main Street was passed over for the Pulitzer Prize in favor of The Age of Innocence, he sent Edith Wharton a congratulatory letter expressing his admiration for her work. She responded warmly, saying that this was the "first sign I have ever had--`literally'--that `les Jeunes' at home had ever read a word of me." Although distressed that Lewis's book had been rejected because it had offended certain readers, she felt that his work had brought her hope: "Some sort of standard is emerging from the welter of cant and sentimentality, and if two or three of us are gathered together, I believe we can still save Fiction in America." Lewis and his wife came out to Saint-Brice-sous-For't soon after this exchange of letters. His relationship with Wharton was cordial but not intimate. They saw each other intermittently for several years, and he dedicated his novel Babbitt to her.
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By the way, (non sequitur), did you know that "Ethan Frome" was first written in French, at the suggestion of Wharton's French tutor, as an exercise to learn the language.
 
Thanks for the interesting comments Sitaram, I didn't know about the Lewis-Wharton friendship. I just finished up Main Street and enjoyed it immensely. The book is especially meaningful if you've ever lived in a small town. The main character is Carol, a big city girl who marries a man who is a small town doctor. She rubs people the wrong way with her poor church attendance, attitude on suffrage, as well as labor issues. Certain passages are just a riot, something straight out of Mencken, though only by Lewis.

In regards to an aunt and uncle who show up and are shocked at the young woman's views.:D

.... They were staggered to learn that a real tangible person, living in Minnesota, and married to their own flesh-and-blood relation, could apparently believe that divorce may not always be immoral; that illegitimate children do not bear any special and guaranteed form of curse; that there are ethical authorities outside of the Hebrew Bible; that men have drunk wine yet not died in the gutter; that the capitalistic system of distribution and the Baptist wedding-ceremony were not known in the Garden of Eden; ... that there are Ministers of the Gospel who accept evolution; that some persons of intelligence and business ability do not always vote the Republican ticket straight; ... that a violin is not inherently more immoral than a chapel organ... 'Where does she get all them the'ries?' marveled Uncle Whittier Smail
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It is more than just a critique of small town living, though it is about that too. Carol is one who desires to be *free,* to be living in a large town and to be arrested in a suffrage protest or to be talking in cafes with improtant artists and philosophers. You don't catch it until the very end, but she learns that in her own way, she can be of great influence to "the movement." Some don't have children and are full time activists, but Carol's mission can be greater. She is raising children and influences other children, not to mention other neighbors. Through her actions, she can send a ripple effect through history. The book is a brisk 430 some odd page read, but a good one. Carol's sense of discovery to her nagging inner problem isn't revealed until the last 80 pages. There are also some interesting twists and turns in the book-Carol leaving her husband to live in Washington, only to find a dreary work life that is no better than the small town. The doctor husband finding a romantic interest in another woman, as well as Carol's discovery of an artistic young man who appears in town on a whim.

Interestingly enough, I read a big state newspaper online today and found an editorial defending the the small town lifestyle and what it stands for. This kind of thing is a common theme in the book as well. Small towns are bastions of honest, hard-working, moral people who "get it" while larger towns are immoral cesspools of drunks, immoral women, not to mention immoral political beliefs. Lewis's cutting remarks(as quoted above) are hilarious to read and made me chuckle more than once outloud. I could definitely see some of the social groups and gossippy old ladies in my own town as well in the novel. :D By the way, did you guys hear that.........:p
 
On another Lewis book.

Arrowsmith is proving to be an interesting read, though a lesser work compared to Main Street. There is a bit of Lewis's sarcasm that seeps through every now and then regarding the "good citizens of small town U.S.A.?" in ealry 20th century America. Here's a good one regarding a professor who enteratains strange ideas among the good and the godly.

He was permitted, without restriction, to speak of himself as immoral, agnostic and socialistic, as long as it was universally known that he remained pure, Presbyterian, and Republican.
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:D :D :D :D

The tragedy of the novel is that Martin Arrowsmith is an ideal American who cannot experience *true* tragedy as no one observes his pain, and that other than his own mind, no disappointment is observed among anyone else regarding his plight. This leaves him to reinvent himself as a famed student, doctor, and eventual researcher. That thesis is a bit undeveloped in the book, though the string of let-downs is a steady one.
 
My favorite Sinclair Lewis book is Elmer Gantry. Lewis perfectly captures the feel of the circus-like old-time tent revivals, and the lure of the clever revivalists themselves. Most of all Lewis explores the complex personlity of the probably sociopathic Elmer Gantry, and the deeply disturbed Sister Sharon Falconer.
 
I started Babbit a while ago. Haven't got to far mainly as it is competing with so many other books for my attention. But I think it is going to be a good read.
His other books are hard to find though I do have Main Street. I am finding Babbit easier to read and more interesting right from the start, even though it is much less well know. I like books of this early 20th century period, both American and British.

I get the feeling it might be a bit like Kings Row by Henry Bellaman, for anyone who has read that?
 
I inherited a set of hardback Lewis books many many years ago and continue to keep them close to my heart. I read MAIN STREET first, then BABBIT and then ARROWSMITH. I always think of Lewis as a writer with his hand on the pulse of the US and it's various populations. I didn't read ELMER GANTRY but saw the movie at least 6x and still love it. ANd I think it's awesome that in many ways his themes are as fresh today as they were in his time.
THANK YOU those that posted links ... very much appreciated here.
 
Of the Lewis books I have read, Babbitt was my favorite. The takeoff on salesmanship - advertising, promotion, and marketing - was fun to read and made a serious point. It included the conflict between the generations also, as I remember.
 
I have a hardcover copy of Kingsblood Royal that I kept from that whole boxes of books fiasco. I doubt I'll ever get around to reading it though. If anyone wants it, PM me.
 
I listened to the audio version of Main Street recently and really liked it. I had read the book in high school many years ago and had always wanted to read it again so downloaded the audio.
 
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