A blockbuster success when it was first released in 1927, Sinclair Lewis’ ‘Elmer Gantry’ tells the story of a self-absorbed, narcissistic young drifter who – seeking easy money – is drawn into the world of Evangelism and manages to become a successful minister despite his serial sexual indiscretions.
Upon its publication, this satire of religious hypocrisy in America was denounced in pulpits from coast-to-coast and the book was banned and vilified by scores of clerics and religious figures as blasphemous (ironically helping to boost sales).
A towering literary achievement, ‘Elmer Gantry’ has been adapted for the stage and screen numerous times and the book itself has become an American classic. It is presented here in its original and unabridged format.
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Sinclair Lewis was an American writer and playwright, best known for his novels Main Street, Babbitt, Arrowsmith, Elmer Gantry, Dodsworth, and It Can’t Happen Here. In 1930, he became the first American writer to be awarded the Nobel Prize in Literature. A Minnesota native, Lewis’ first few books were met with modest critical and commercial success but, in 1920, he released Main Street which became a publishing sensation. The projected sales of the book were optimistically estimated to be 25, 000 copies but. within six months it had already sold 180, 000 copies. Within the first few years, sales were estimated to be over two million and the royalties made Lewis a rich man. Riding the success of Main Street, Lewis spent the 1920’s turning out one successful book after another. Babbitt (1922) was a satire of American commercialism and Arrowsmith (1925) told the tale of an idealistic physician. The latter won the Pulitzer Prize, which Lewis declined. Then came Elmer Gantry (1927), about a corrupt Evangelical minister and Dodsworth (1929), a satire of the immensely wealthy and the pointless lives they lead. His string of successful and acclaimed books culminated in his winning the 1930 Nobel Prize in Literature. From the 1930’s onward, Lewis continued to write, but the only work of note was 1935’s It Can’t Happen Here, which was a cautionary tale of what happens when a fascist is elected President of the United States. This book saw a huge surge in popularity after the 2016 election, with many readers finding corollaries between Lewis’ story and the rise of Donald Trump. Sinclair Lewis suffered from a severe drinking problem his entire life and, despite many attempts to cure himself of this disease, he ultimately died of advanced alcoholism in June of 1951. Lewis’ stories have been adapted into film and stage productions many times over the years and he remains one of the most important and revered authors of the 20th century.
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