Sinclair Lewis

Sinclair Lewis (1885–1951) was an American novelist and playwright known for satirical portrayals of small-town life, business culture, and social conformity. Born in Sauk Centre, Minnesota, he studied at Yale University and worked in publishing and journalism before turning to fiction. His breakthrough novel *Main Street* (1920) was followed by *Babbitt* (1922), and he later co-wrote the stage adaptation of *It Can’t Happen Here* (1936), based on his novel of the same name. In 1930 he became the first writer from the United States to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature. Lewis died in Rome, Italy.