Showing results by author "Sinclair Lewis" in All Categories

Trail of the Hawk, narrated by Mike Vendetti aka Miketheauctioneer, is Sinclair Lewis’ second novel published under his own name. It was not at the time of release a smashing success as his later works, Babbitt, Elmer Gantry, and others, but his style and immense talent are certainly evident. We travel with The Hawk, or Carl Ericson, son of Norwegian immigrants, born at the end of the 19th century through the first three adventurous periods of the young man’s life. We see him as an adventurous boy, running away with Gertie Cowels, the girl that lives in the big house in the better part of ...

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was an American novelist and playwright who, in 1930, became the first American to win the Nobel Prize for literature. The Job is one of his earliest novels. Concerning the exploits of a 1920s career woman, it is one of the first novels about feminism and is considered one of the stepping stones towards Lewis' success.

Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor, is dismayed to find that many of the people he knows support presidential candidate Berzelius Windrip. The suspiciously fascist Windrip is offering to save the nation from sex, crime, welfare cheats, and a liberal press. But after Windrip wins the election, dissent soon becomes dangerous for Jessup. Windrip forcibly gains control of Congress and the Supreme Court and, with the aid of his personal paramilitary storm troopers, turns the United States into a totalitarian state.

A greedy, philandering Baptist minister, Elmer Gantry turns to evangelism and becomes the leader of a large Methodist congregation. Often exposed as a fraud, he is never fully discredited. Elmer Gantry is considered a landmark American novel and one of the most penetrating studies of hypocrisy in modern literature. It portrays the evangelistic activity that was common in 1920s America as well as attitudes toward it.

Sinclair Lewis (1885-1951) was an American novelist and playwright who, in 1930, became the first American to win the Nobel Prize for literature. His last distinctive pulp novel, The Innocents, follows a longtime married couple as they vacation away from their home in New York City and contemplate starting a business.

On the surface, everything is all right with Babbitt’s world of the solid, successful businessman. But in reality, George F. Babbitt is a lonely, middle-aged man. He doesn’t understand his family, has an unsuccessful attempt at an affair, and is almost financially ruined when he dares to voice sympathy for some striking workers. Babbitt finds that his only safety lies deep in the fold of those who play it safe. He is a man who has added a new word to our language: a “Babbitt,” meaning someone who conforms unthinkingly, a sheep.

Widely hailed as a milestone in American literature, Sinclair Lewis' Main Street vividly describes a country on the verge of massive change, with traditional values being threatened by progress. The novel's heroine, Carol Milford, is a highly educated, ambitious woman who plans to join a newly enlightened society. But after marrying a small-town doctor, she finds herself trapped in the role of a dutiful wife. Carol's desires for social change conflict with the security of her comfortable married life, as she struggles to understand the cost of conformity...and rebellion. As relevant today as it was upon its 1920 publication, Main Street is both a masterful piece of writing and a fascinating microcosm of America's social evolution.

The lonely predicament of Carol Kennicott, caught between her desires for social reform and individual happiness, reflects the position in which America's turn-of-the-century "emancipated woman" found herself.

With his breathtaking social insight and his graceful sentences, Sinclair Lewis—a Pulitzer and Nobel Prize winner—stands out as one of the most important American writers of the 20th century. At turns lyrically soul-searching and scathing in its honesty, Babbitt captures the essence of the 1920s while remaining a timeless piece of literature. Babbitt, the ultimate conformist and social climber, seeks power in his community and self-esteem from others. Outwardly, he is the ultimate “big booster,” and he toes the company line with “zip and zowie.”

Meet Sam Dodsworth, an amiable 50-year-old millionaire and "American Captain of Industry, believing in the Republican Party, high tariffs, and, so long as they did not annoy him personally, in Prohibition and the Episcopal Church". Dodsworth runs an auto manufacturing firm, but his beautiful wife, Fran, obsessed with the notion that she is growing old, persuades him to sell his interest in the company and take her to Europe.

It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis is a satirical novel that depicts the rise of a fascist government in the United States, exploring themes of power, democracy, and individual freedom. Through the story of a demagogic politician who becomes president, Lewis warns against the fragility of democracy and the dangers of authoritarianism. The novel is a critical examination of American society and politics in the 1930s, highlighting the potential for tyranny even in a democratic nation.

In this sardonic portrait of the up-and-coming middle class during the prosperous 1920s, Sinclair Lewis perfectly captures the sound, the feel, and the attitudes of the generation that created the cult of consumerism. With a sharp eye for detail and keen powers of observation, Lewis tracks successful realtor George Babbitt's daily struggles to rise to the top of his profession while maintaining his reputation as an upstanding family man.

The son of a country doctor, Sinclair Lewis turned to writing instead of medicine. He won the Nobel Prize in 1930. Arrowsmith was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for Literature. This is the story of a brilliant young man who dedicates his life to science, yet finds that corruption, not disease, is...

In this series we explore the many facets of love through literary talents that span both time and country. When two people meet, when eyes glance and lock. And we often say something ‘clicks’; ‘it feels like I’ve known you forever’. Romance begins to brew and to blossom. In this volume our masterful writers take on the task of describing and revealing the beginnings of a romance, and some may even lead to love.

Doremus Jessup, a newspaper editor, is dismayed to find that many of the people he knows support presidential candidate Berzelius Windrip. The suspiciously fascist Windrip is offering to save the nation from sex, crime, welfare cheats, and a liberal press. But after Windrip wins the election, dissent soon becomes dangerous for Jessup. Windrip forcibly gains control of Congress and the Supreme Court and, with the aid of his personal paramilitary storm troopers, turns the United States into a totalitarian state.

The Pulitzer Prize novel describes the tradeoffs between medical research & money making & much more.

As Babbitt grapples with the suffocating monotony of suburban life, societal expectations, and his own unfulfilled desires, Lewis paints a timeless portrait of conformity, materialism, and self-deception. A biting critique of the American Dream, Babbitt explores the search for meaning in a world that seems more obsessed with status than substance.

At thirty-four, Mr. Wrenn is a humble sales-entry clerk at the Souvenir Company, often found hunched over bills and columns of figures in his inconspicuous blue ready-made suits. Despite his meek demeanor and small, unsuccessful mustache, Mr. Wrenn possesses a vibrant inner life fueled by his imagination. When he unexpectedly inherits a modest sum, he feels compelled to break free from his routine and embark on a journey of self-discovery. What follows is a series of adventures that reveal life to be far more captivating than he ever envisioned... (Introduction by Don Jenkins)

This epic of the booming 20s captures the relentless culture of American business. A classic novel about conformity in small town America - celebrated for its comic tone, statire, and vivid dialogue. L.A. Theatre Works, then a fledgling radio theatre company, completed Babbitt in 1989. This production was so well received that L.A. Theatre Works has since become the world's premiere radio theatre company.

"Babbitt" by Sinclair Lewis presents a biting satire of middle-class American life in the 1920s, exploring conformity, ambition, and the hollowness of societal expectations. This podcast delves into the life of George Babbitt, a prosperous businessman whose comfortable life begins to unravel as he questions the values of success and happiness. It's a fascinating critique of consumerism, materialism, and the American Dream.