Upton Sinclair
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Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
nominee for governor of California who wrote nearly 100 books and other works in several genres. Sinclair's work was well known and popular in the first half of the 20th century, and he won the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1943. In 1906, Sinclair acquired particular fame for his classic muck-raking novel, ''
The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...
'', which exposed labor and sanitary conditions in the U.S.
meatpacking industry The meat-packing industry (also spelled meatpacking industry or meat packing industry) handles the slaughtering, processing, packaging, and distribution of meat from animals such as cattle, pigs, sheep and other livestock. Poultry is general ...
, causing a public uproar that contributed in part to the passage a few months later of the 1906
Pure Food and Drug Act The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, also known as Dr. Wiley's Law, was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws which was enacted by Congress in the 20th century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administratio ...
and the
Meat Inspection Act The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 (FMIA) is an American law that makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat and meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly r ...
. In 1919, he published ''
The Brass Check ''The Brass Check'' is a muckraking exposé of American journalism by Upton Sinclair published in 1919. It focuses mainly on newspapers and the Associated Press wire service, along with a few magazines. Other critiques of the press had appeared ...
'', a muck-raking
exposé Expose, exposé, or exposed may refer to: News sources * Exposé (journalism), a form of investigative journalism * '' The Exposé'', a British conspiracist website Film and TV Film * ''Exposé'' (film), a 1976 thriller film * ''Exposed'' (1932 ...
of American journalism that publicized the issue of
yellow journalism Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include ...
and the limitations of the "free press" in the United States. Four years after publication of ''The Brass Check'', the first
code of ethics Ethical codes are adopted by organizations to assist members in understanding the difference between right and wrong and in applying that understanding to their decisions. An ethical code generally implies documents at three levels: codes of bus ...
for journalists was created. ''Time'' magazine called him "a man with every gift except humor and silence".. He is also well remembered for the quote: "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it." He used this line in speeches and the book about his campaign for governor as a way to explain why the editors and publishers of the major newspapers in California would not treat seriously his proposals for old age pensions and other progressive reforms. Many of his novels can be read as historical works. Writing during the
Progressive Era The Progressive Era (late 1890s – late 1910s) was a period of widespread social activism and political reform across the United States focused on defeating corruption, monopoly, waste and inefficiency. The main themes ended during Am ...
, Sinclair describes the world of the industrialized United States from both the working man's and the industrialist's points of view. Novels such as ''
King Coal ''King Coal'' is a 1917 novel by Upton Sinclair that describes the poor working conditions in the coal mining industry in the western United States during the 1910s, from the perspective of a single protagonist, Hal Warner. As in his earlier wor ...
'' (1917), ''
The Coal War ''The Coal War'' is a novel by Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California w ...
'' (published posthumously), ''
Oil! ''Oil!'' is a novel by Upton Sinclair, first published in 1926–27 and told as a third-person narrative, with only the opening pages written in the first person. The book was written in the context of the Harding administration's Teapot Dome Sc ...
'' (1927), and ''
The Flivver King ''The Flivver King: A Story of Ford-America'' is a novel by American author Upton Sinclair, published in 1937, that tells the intertwined stories of Henry Ford and a fictional Ford worker named Abner Shutt. Plot summary On Bagley Street in the c ...
'' (1937) describe the working conditions of the coal, oil, and auto industries at the time. ''The Flivver King'' describes the rise of
Henry Ford Henry Ford (July 30, 1863 – April 7, 1947) was an American industrialist, business magnate, founder of the Ford Motor Company, and chief developer of the assembly line technique of mass production. By creating the first automobile that mi ...
, his "wage reform" and his company's Sociological Department, to his decline into antisemitism as publisher of ''
The Dearborn Independent ''The Dearborn Independent'', also known as ''The Ford International Weekly'', was a weekly newspaper established in 1901, and published by Henry Ford from 1919 through 1927. The paper reached a circulation of 900,000 by 1925, second only to the ...
''. ''King Coal'' confronts
John D. Rockefeller Jr. John Davison Rockefeller Jr. (January 29, 1874 – May 11, 1960) was an American financier and philanthropist, and the only son of Standard Oil co-founder John D. Rockefeller. He was involved in the development of the vast office complex in M ...
, and his role in the 1914 Ludlow Massacre in the coal fields of Colorado. Sinclair was an outspoken socialist and ran unsuccessfully for Congress as a nominee from the
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
. He was also the
Democratic Party Democratic Party most often refers to: *Democratic Party (United States) Democratic Party and similar terms may also refer to: Active parties Africa *Botswana Democratic Party *Democratic Party of Equatorial Guinea *Gabonese Democratic Party *Demo ...
candidate for governor of California during the
Great Depression The Great Depression (19291939) was an economic shock that impacted most countries across the world. It was a period of economic depression that became evident after a major fall in stock prices in the United States. The economic contagio ...
, running under the banner of the
End Poverty in California End Poverty in California (EPIC) was a political campaign started in 1934 by socialist writer Upton Sinclair (best known as author of ''The Jungle''). The movement formed the basis for Sinclair's campaign for Governor of California in 1934. The p ...
campaign, but was defeated in the 1934 election.


Early life and education

Sinclair was born in
Baltimore Baltimore ( , locally: or ) is the List of municipalities in Maryland, most populous city in the U.S. state of Maryland, fourth most populous city in the Mid-Atlantic (United States), Mid-Atlantic, and List of United States cities by popula ...
,
Maryland Maryland ( ) is a state in the Mid-Atlantic region of the United States. It shares borders with Virginia, West Virginia, and the District of Columbia to its south and west; Pennsylvania to its north; and Delaware and the Atlantic Ocean to ...
, to Upton Beall Sinclair Sr. and Priscilla Harden Sinclair. His father was a liquor salesman whose
alcoholism Alcoholism is, broadly, any drinking of alcohol (drug), alcohol that results in significant Mental health, mental or physical health problems. Because there is disagreement on the definition of the word ''alcoholism'', it is not a recognize ...
shadowed his son's childhood. Priscilla Harden Sinclair was a strict Episcopalian who disliked alcohol, tea, and coffee. Both of Upton Sinclair's parents were of British ancestry. His paternal grandparents were Scottish, and all of his ancestors emigrated to America from
Great Britain Great Britain is an island in the North Atlantic Ocean off the northwest coast of continental Europe. With an area of , it is the largest of the British Isles, the largest European island and the ninth-largest island in the world. It is ...
during the late 1600s and early 1700s. As a child, Sinclair slept either on sofas or cross-ways on his parents' bed. When his father was out for the night, he would sleep in the bed with his mother. His mother's family was very affluent: her parents were very prosperous in Baltimore, and her sister married a millionaire. Sinclair had wealthy maternal grandparents with whom he often stayed. This gave him insight into how both the rich and the poor lived during the late 19th century. Living in two social settings affected him and greatly influenced his books. Upton Beall Sinclair Sr. was from a highly respected family in the South, but the family was financially ruined by the
Civil War A civil war or intrastate war is a war between organized groups within the same state (or country). The aim of one side may be to take control of the country or a region, to achieve independence for a region, or to change government policies ...
, the end of slavery causing disruptions of the labor system during the
Reconstruction era The Reconstruction era was a period in American history following the American Civil War (1861–1865) and lasting until approximately the Compromise of 1877. During Reconstruction, attempts were made to rebuild the country after the bloo ...
, and an extended agricultural depression. As he was growing up, Upton's family moved frequently, as his father was not successful in his career. He developed a love for reading when he was five years old. He read every book his mother owned for a deeper understanding of the world. He did not start school until he was 10 years old. He was deficient in math and worked hard to catch up quickly because of his embarrassment. In 1888, the Sinclair family moved to
Queens Queens is a borough of New York City, coextensive with Queens County, in the U.S. state of New York. Located on Long Island, it is the largest New York City borough by area. It is bordered by the borough of Brooklyn at the western tip of Long ...
,
New York City New York, often called New York City or NYC, is the List of United States cities by population, most populous city in the United States. With a 2020 population of 8,804,190 distributed over , New York City is also the L ...
, New York, where his father sold shoes. Upton entered the
City College of New York The City College of the City University of New York (also known as the City College of New York, or simply City College or CCNY) is a public university within the City University of New York (CUNY) system in New York City. Founded in 1847, Cit ...
five days before his 14th birthday, on September 15, 1892. He wrote jokes,
dime novel The dime novel is a form of late 19th-century and early 20th-century U.S. popular fiction issued in series of inexpensive paperbound editions. The term ''dime novel'' has been used as a catchall term for several different but related forms, r ...
s, and magazine articles in boys' weekly and pulp magazines to pay for his tuition. With that income, he was able to move his parents to an apartment when he was seventeen years old. He graduated from City College in June 1897. He subsequently studied law at
Columbia University Columbia University (also known as Columbia, and officially as Columbia University in the City of New York) is a private research university in New York City. Established in 1754 as King's College on the grounds of Trinity Church in Manhatt ...
, but he was more interested in writing. He learned several languages, including Spanish, German, and French. He paid the one-time enrollment fee to be able to learn a variety of subjects. He would sign up for a class and then later drop it. He again supported himself through college by writing boys' adventure stories and jokes. He also sold ideas to cartoonists. Using
stenographers Shorthand is an abbreviated symbolic writing method that increases speed and brevity of writing as compared to longhand, a more common method of writing a language. The process of writing in shorthand is called stenography, from the Greek ''st ...
, he wrote up to 8,000 words of pulp fiction per day. His only complaint about his educational experience was that it failed to educate him about socialism. After leaving Columbia without a degree, he wrote four books in the next four years; they were commercially unsuccessful though critically well-received: ''King Midas'' (1901), ''Prince Hagen'' (1902), ''The Journal of Arthur Stirling'' (1903), and a Civil War novel, ''Manassas'' (1904). Sinclair did not get on with his mother when he became older because of her strict rules and refusal to allow him independence. Sinclair later told his son, David, that around Sinclair's 16th year, he decided not to have anything to do with his mother, staying away from her for 35 years because an argument would start if they met. Upton became close with Reverend William Wilmerding Moir. Moir specialized in sexual abstinence and taught his beliefs to Sinclair. He was taught to "avoid the subject of sex." Sinclair was to report to Moir monthly regarding his abstinence. Despite their close relationship, Sinclair identified as agnostic.


Career

Upton Sinclair considered himself a poet and dedicated his time to writing poetry. In 1904, Sinclair spent seven weeks in disguise, working undercover in Chicago's meatpacking plants to research his novel, ''
The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...
'' (1906), a political exposé that addressed conditions in the plants, as well as the lives of poor immigrants. When it was published two years later, it became a bestseller. In the spring of 1905, Sinclair issued a call for the formation of a new organization, a group to be called the
Intercollegiate Socialist Society The Intercollegiate Socialist Society (ISS) was a socialist student organization active from 1905 to 1921. It attracted many prominent intellectuals and writers and acted as an unofficial student wing of the Socialist Party of America. The Society ...
. With the income from ''The Jungle'', Sinclair founded the utopian—but non-Jewish white only—
Helicon Home Colony Helicon Home Colony was an experimental community formed by author Upton Sinclair in Englewood, New Jersey, United States, with proceeds from his novel ''The Jungle''. Established in October 1906, it burned down in March 1907 and was disbanded. ...
in Englewood,
New Jersey New Jersey is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York; on the east, southeast, and south by the Atlantic Ocean; on the west by the Delaware ...
. He ran as a Socialist candidate for Congress. The colony burned down under suspicious circumstances within a year. In 1913–1914, Sinclair made three trips to the coal fields of Colorado, which led him to write ''King Coal'' and caused him to begin work on the larger, more historical ''The Coal War.'' In 1914, Sinclair helped organize demonstrations in New York City against Rockefeller at the Standard Oil offices. The demonstrations touched off more actions by the
Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...
(IWW) and the ''Mother Earth'' group, a loose association of anarchists and IWW members, in Rockefeller's hometown of Tarrytown. The Sinclairs moved to California in the 1920s and lived there for nearly four decades. During his years with his second wife, Mary Craig, Sinclair wrote or produced several films. Recruited by
Charlie Chaplin Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin Jr. (16 April 188925 December 1977) was an English comic actor, filmmaker, and composer who rose to fame in the era of silent film. He became a worldwide icon through his screen persona, the Tramp, and is consider ...
, Sinclair and Mary Craig produced Eisenstein's '' ¡Qué viva México!'' in 1930–32.


Other interests

Aside from his political and social writings, Sinclair took an interest in occult phenomena and experimented with telepathy. His book ''
Mental Radio ''Mental Radio: Does it work, and how?'' (1930) was written by the American author Upton Sinclair and initially self-published. This book documents Sinclair's test of psychic abilities of Mary Craig Sinclair, his second wife, while she was in ...
'' (1930) included accounts of his wife Mary's telepathic experiences and ability. William McDougall read the book and wrote an introduction to it, which led him to establish the
parapsychology Parapsychology is the study of alleged psychic phenomena (extrasensory perception, telepathy, precognition, clairvoyance, psychokinesis (also called telekinesis), and psychometry) and other paranormal claims, for example, those related to near ...
department at Duke University.


Political career

Sinclair broke with the
Socialist Party Socialist Party is the name of many different political parties around the world. All of these parties claim to uphold some form of socialism, though they may have very different interpretations of what "socialism" means. Statistically, most of t ...
in 1917 and supported the
First World War World War I (28 July 1914 11 November 1918), often abbreviated as WWI, was one of the deadliest global conflicts in history. Belligerents included much of Europe, the Russian Empire, the United States, and the Ottoman Empire, with fightin ...
effort. By the 1920s, however, he had returned to the party. In the 1920s, the Sinclairs moved to
Monrovia, California Monrovia is a city in the foothills of the San Gabriel Mountains in the San Gabriel Valley of Los Angeles County, California, United States. The population was 37,931 at the 2020 census. Monrovia has been used for filming TV shows, movies and co ...
, (near
Los Angeles Los Angeles ( ; es, Los Ángeles, link=no , ), often referred to by its initials L.A., is the largest city in the state of California and the second most populous city in the United States after New York City, as well as one of the world' ...
), where Sinclair founded the state's chapter of the
American Civil Liberties Union The American Civil Liberties Union (ACLU) is a nonprofit organization founded in 1920 "to defend and preserve the individual rights and liberties guaranteed to every person in this country by the Constitution and laws of the United States". T ...
. Wanting to pursue politics, he twice ran unsuccessfully for United States Congress on the Socialist Party ticket: in 1920 for the
House of Representatives House of Representatives is the name of legislative bodies in many countries and sub-national entitles. In many countries, the House of Representatives is the lower house of a bicameral legislature, with the corresponding upper house often c ...
and in 1922 for the Senate. He was the party candidate for governor of California in 1926, winning nearly 46,000 votes, and in 1930, winning nearly 50,000 votes. During this period, Sinclair was also active in radical politics in Los Angeles. For instance, in 1923, to support the challenged
free speech Freedom of speech is a principle that supports the freedom of an individual or a community to articulate their opinions and ideas without fear of retaliation, censorship, or legal sanction. The right to freedom of expression has been recog ...
rights of
Industrial Workers of the World The Industrial Workers of the World (IWW), members of which are commonly termed "Wobblies", is an international labor union that was founded in Chicago in 1905. The origin of the nickname "Wobblies" is uncertain. IWW ideology combines general ...
, Sinclair spoke at a rally during the San Pedro Maritime Strike, in a neighborhood now known as Liberty Hill. He began to read from the
Bill of Rights A bill of rights, sometimes called a declaration of rights or a charter of rights, is a list of the most important rights to the citizens of a country. The purpose is to protect those rights against infringement from public officials and pri ...
and was promptly arrested, along with hundreds of others, by the LAPD. The arresting officer proclaimed: "We'll have none of that Constitution stuff". In 1934, Sinclair ran in the California gubernatorial election as a
Democrat Democrat, Democrats, or Democratic may refer to: Politics *A proponent of democracy, or democratic government; a form of government involving rule by the people. *A member of a Democratic Party: **Democratic Party (United States) (D) **Democratic ...
. Sinclair's platform, known as the
End Poverty in California movement End Poverty in California (EPIC) was a political campaign started in 1934 by socialist writer Upton Sinclair (best known as author of ''The Jungle''). The movement formed the basis for Sinclair's campaign for Governor of California in 1934. The ...
(EPIC), galvanized the support of the Democratic Party, and Sinclair gained its nomination. Gaining 879,000 votes made this his most successful run for office, but incumbent Governor
Frank Merriam Frank Finley Merriam (December 22, 1865 – April 25, 1955) was an American Republican politician who served as the 28th governor of California from June 2, 1934 until January 2, 1939. Assuming the governorship at the height of the Great Depress ...
defeated him by a sizable margin, gaining 1,138,000 votes. Hollywood studio bosses unanimously opposed Sinclair. They pressured their employees to assist and vote for Merriam's campaign, and made false propaganda films attacking Sinclair, giving him no opportunity to respond. The unethical campaign tactics used against Sinclair are briefly depicted in the 2020 American
biographical drama A biographical film or biopic () is a film that dramatizes the life of a non-fictional or historically-based person or people. Such films show the life of a historical person and the central character's real name is used. They differ from docudr ...
film '' Mank''. Sinclair's plan to end poverty quickly became a controversial issue under the pressure of numerous migrants to California fleeing the
Dust Bowl The Dust Bowl was a period of severe dust storms that greatly damaged the ecology and agriculture of the American and Canadian prairies during the 1930s. The phenomenon was caused by a combination of both natural factors (severe drought) a ...
. Conservatives considered his proposal an attempted communist takeover of their state and quickly opposed him, using propaganda to portray Sinclair as a staunch communist. Sinclair had been a member of the Socialist Party from 1902 to 1934, when he became a Democrat, though always considering himself a socialist in spirit. The Socialist party in California and nationwide refused to allow its members to be active in any other party including the Democratic Party and expelled him, along with socialists who supported his California campaign. The expulsions destroyed the Socialist party in California. At the same time, American and
Soviet The Soviet Union,. officially the Union of Soviet Socialist Republics. (USSR),. was a transcontinental country that spanned much of Eurasia from 1922 to 1991. A flagship communist state, it was nominally a federal union of fifteen nation ...
communists disassociated themselves from him, considering him a capitalist. In later writings, such as his anti-alcohol book ''The Cup of Fury'', Sinclair scathingly censured communism. Science-fiction author
Robert A. Heinlein Robert Anson Heinlein (; July 7, 1907 – May 8, 1988) was an American science fiction author, aeronautical engineer, and naval officer. Sometimes called the "dean of science fiction writers", he was among the first to emphasize scientific accu ...
was deeply involved in Sinclair's campaign, although he attempted to move away from the stance later in his life. In the 21st century, Sinclair is considered an early American
democratic socialist Democratic socialism is a left-wing political philosophy that supports political democracy and some form of a socially owned economy, with a particular emphasis on economic democracy, workplace democracy, and workers' self-management within ...
. After his loss to Merriam, Sinclair abandoned EPIC and politics to return to writing. In 1935, he published ''I, Candidate for Governor: And How I Got Licked'', in which he described the techniques employed by Merriam's supporters, including the then popular Aimee Semple McPherson, who vehemently opposed socialism and what she perceived as Sinclair's
modernism Modernism is both a philosophy, philosophical and arts movement that arose from broad transformations in Western world, Western society during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The movement reflected a desire for the creation of new fo ...
. Sinclair's line from this book "It is difficult to get a man to understand something, when his salary depends upon his not understanding it" has become well known and was for example quoted by
Al Gore Albert Arnold Gore Jr. (born March 31, 1948) is an American politician, businessman, and environmentalist who served as the 45th vice president of the United States from 1993 to 2001 under President Bill Clinton. Gore was the Democratic Part ...
in ''
An Inconvenient Truth ''An Inconvenient Truth'' is a 2006 American documentary film directed by Davis Guggenheim about former United States Vice President Al Gore's campaign to educate people about global warming. The film features a slide show that, by Gore's own e ...
''. Of his gubernatorial bid, Sinclair remarked in 1951:
The American People will take Socialism, but they won't take the label. I certainly proved it in the case of EPIC. Running on the Socialist ticket I got 60,000 votes, and running on the slogan to 'End Poverty in California' I got 879,000. I think we simply have to recognize the fact that our enemies have succeeded in spreading the Big Lie. There is no use attacking it by a front attack, it is much better to out-flank them.


Personal life

In April 1900, Sinclair went to
Lake Massawippi Lake Massawippi is a freshwater lake in Memphrémagog Regional County Municipality in the Estrie region of Quebec, Canada. The Tomifobia River is the source of the lake at its southern tip, near the village of Ayer's Cliff, Quebec. In early recor ...
in
Quebec Quebec ( ; )According to the Canadian government, ''Québec'' (with the acute accent) is the official name in Canadian French and ''Quebec'' (without the accent) is the province's official name in Canadian English is one of the thirtee ...
to work on a novel, renting a small cabin for three months and then moving to a farmhouse where he was reintroduced to his future first wife, Meta Fuller (1880–1964). A childhood friend descended from one of the
First Families of Virginia First Families of Virginia (FFV) were those families in Colonial Virginia who were socially prominent and wealthy, but not necessarily the earliest settlers. They descended from English colonists who primarily settled at Jamestown, Williamsbur ...
, she was three years younger than him and aspired to be more than a housewife, so Sinclair instructed her in what to read and learn. Though each had warned the other against it, on October 18, 1900, they married. The couple having used abstinence as their main form of contraception, Meta became pregnant the following year. Despite Meta's several attempts to terminate the pregnancy, the child,
David David (; , "beloved one") (traditional spelling), , ''Dāwūd''; grc-koi, Δαυΐδ, Dauíd; la, Davidus, David; gez , ዳዊት, ''Dawit''; xcl, Դաւիթ, ''Dawitʿ''; cu, Давíдъ, ''Davidŭ''; possibly meaning "beloved one". w ...
, was born on December 1, 1901. Meta and her family tried to convince Sinclair to give up writing and get "a job that would support his family." Sinclair was opposed to sex outside of marriage and viewed it as necessary only for reproduction. He told his first wife Meta that only the birth of a child gave marriage "dignity and meaning". Despite his beliefs, Sinclair had a love affair with Anna Noyes during his marriage to Meta. He wrote a novel about the affair called ''Love's Progress'', a sequel to ''Love's Pilgrimage''. It was never published. His wife later had a love affair with John Armistead Collier, a theology student from Memphis; they had a son together named Ben. In 1910, the Sinclairs moved to the single-tax village of
Arden, Delaware Arden, officially the Village of Arden, is a village and art colony in New Castle County, Delaware, United States, founded in 1900 as a radical Georgist single-tax community by sculptor Frank Stephens and architect Will Price. The village occu ...
, where they built a house. In 1911, Sinclair was arrested for playing tennis on the Sabbath and spent eighteen hours in the
New Castle County New Castle County is the northernmost of the three counties of the U.S. state of Delaware (New Castle, Kent, and Sussex). As of the 2020 census, the population was 570,719, making it the most populous county in Delaware, with nearly 60% of the ...
prison in lieu of paying a fine. Earlier in 1911, Sinclair invited
Harry Kemp Harry Hibbard Kemp (December 15, 1883 – August 5, 1960) was an American poet and prose writer of the twentieth century. He was known as (and promoted himself as) the "Vagabond Poet", the " Villon of America", the "Hobo Poet", or the "Tramp P ...
, the "Vagabond Poet", to camp on the couple's land in Arden. Meta soon became enamored of Kemp, and in late August she left Sinclair for the poet. In 1913, Sinclair married Mary Craig Kimbrough (1882–1961), a woman from an elite
Greenwood, Mississippi Greenwood is a city in and the county seat of Leflore County, Mississippi, United States, located at the eastern edge of the Mississippi Delta region, approximately 96 miles north of the state capital, Jackson, and 130 miles south of the riverp ...
, family who had written articles on
Winnie Davis Varina Anne Davis (June 27, 1864 – September 18, 1898) was an American author who is best known as the youngest daughter of President Jefferson Davis of the Confederate States of America and Varina (Howell) Davis. Born in the last year of the ...
, the daughter of Confederate States of America President Jefferson Davis. They met when she attended one of his lectures about ''The Jungle''. In the 1920s, the couple moved to California. They remained married until her death in 1961. Later that same year, Sinclair married his third wife, Mary Elizabeth Willis (1882–1967). They moved to Buckeye,
Arizona Arizona ( ; nv, Hoozdo Hahoodzo ; ood, Alĭ ṣonak ) is a state in the Southwestern United States. It is the 6th largest and the 14th most populous of the 50 states. Its capital and largest city is Phoenix. Arizona is part of the Fou ...
, before returning east to Bound Brook, New Jersey, where Sinclair died in a nursing home on November 25, 1968, a year after his wife.. He is buried next to Willis in
Rock Creek Cemetery Rock Creek Cemetery is an cemetery with a natural and rolling landscape located at Rock Creek Church Road, NW, and Webster Street, NW, off Hawaii Avenue, NE, in the Petworth neighborhood of Washington, D.C., United States. It is across the stre ...
in
Washington, D.C. ) , image_skyline = , image_caption = Clockwise from top left: the Washington Monument and Lincoln Memorial on the National Mall, United States Capitol, Logan Circle, Jefferson Memorial, White House, Adams Morgan, ...


Writing

Sinclair devoted his writing career to documenting and criticizing the social and economic conditions of the early 20th century in both fiction and nonfiction. He exposed his view of the injustices of capitalism and the overwhelming effects of poverty among the working class. He also edited collections of fiction and nonfiction.


''The Jungle''

His novel based on the meatpacking industry in Chicago, ''The Jungle,'' was first published in serial form in the socialist newspaper '' Appeal to Reason,'' from February 25, 1905, to November 4, 1905. It was published as a book by Doubleday in 1906. Sinclair had spent about six months investigating the Chicago meatpacking industry for ''Appeal to Reason'', the work which inspired his novel. He intended to "set forth the breaking of human hearts by a system which exploits the labor of men and women for profit". The novel featured Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant who works in a meat factory in Chicago, his teenaged wife Ona Lukoszaite, and their extended family. Sinclair portrays their mistreatment by Rudkus' employers and the wealthier elements of society. His descriptions of the unsanitary and inhumane conditions that workers suffered served to shock and galvanize readers.
Jack London John Griffith Chaney (January 12, 1876 – November 22, 1916), better known as Jack London, was an American novelist, journalist and activist. A pioneer of commercial fiction and American magazines, he was one of the first American authors to ...
called Sinclair's book "the ''
Uncle Tom's Cabin ''Uncle Tom's Cabin; or, Life Among the Lowly'' is an anti-slavery novel by American author Harriet Beecher Stowe. Published in two volumes in 1852, the novel had a profound effect on attitudes toward African Americans and slavery in the U. ...
'' of
wage slavery Wage slavery or slave wages refers to a person's dependence on wages (or a salary) for their livelihood, especially when wages are low, treatment and conditions are poor, and there are few chances of upward mobility. The term is often us ...
". Domestic and foreign purchases of American meat fell by half. Sinclair wrote in ''
Cosmopolitan Cosmopolitan may refer to: Food and drink * Cosmopolitan (cocktail), also known as a "Cosmo" History * Rootless cosmopolitan, a Soviet derogatory epithet during Joseph Stalin's anti-Semitic campaign of 1949–1953 Hotels and resorts * Cosmopoli ...
'' in October 1906 about ''The Jungle'': "I aimed at the public's heart, and by accident I hit it in the stomach." The novel brought public lobbying for Congressional legislation and government regulation of the industry, including passage of the
Meat Inspection Act The Federal Meat Inspection Act of 1906 (FMIA) is an American law that makes it illegal to adulterate or misbrand meat and meat products being sold as food, and ensures that meat and meat products are slaughtered and processed under strictly r ...
and the
Pure Food and Drug Act The Pure Food and Drug Act of 1906, also known as Dr. Wiley's Law, was the first of a series of significant consumer protection laws which was enacted by Congress in the 20th century and led to the creation of the Food and Drug Administratio ...
. At the time, President
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
characterized Sinclair as a "crackpot", writing to
William Allen White William Allen White (February 10, 1868 – January 29, 1944) was an American newspaper editor, politician, author, and leader of the Progressive movement. Between 1896 and his death, White became a spokesman for middle America. At a 193 ...
, "I have an utter contempt for him. He is hysterical, unbalanced, and untruthful. Three-fourths of the things he said were absolute falsehoods. For some of the remainder there was only a basis of truth." After reading ''The Jungle,'' Roosevelt agreed with some of Sinclair's conclusions, but was opposed to legislation that he considered "
socialist Socialism is a left-wing economic philosophy and movement encompassing a range of economic systems characterized by the dominance of social ownership of the means of production as opposed to private ownership. As a term, it describes the e ...
." He said, "Radical action must be taken to do away with the efforts of arrogant and selfish greed on the part of the capitalist."
Bertolt Brecht Eugen Berthold Friedrich Brecht (10 February 1898 – 14 August 1956), known professionally as Bertolt Brecht, was a German theatre practitioner, playwright, and poet. Coming of age during the Weimar Republic, he had his first successes as a pl ...
's play, ''
Saint Joan of the Stockyards ''Saint Joan of the Stockyards'' (german: Die heilige Johanna der Schlachthöfe, links=no) is a play written by the German modernist playwright Bertolt Brecht between 1929 and 1931, after the success of his musical ''The Threepenny Opera'' and d ...
'', transporting
Joan of Arc Joan of Arc (french: link=yes, Jeanne d'Arc, translit= an daʁk} ; 1412 – 30 May 1431) is a patron saint of France, honored as a defender of the French nation for her role in the siege of Orléans and her insistence on the coronat ...
to the environment of the Chicago stockyards, is clearly inspired by "The Jungle".


''The Brass Check''

In ''
The Brass Check ''The Brass Check'' is a muckraking exposé of American journalism by Upton Sinclair published in 1919. It focuses mainly on newspapers and the Associated Press wire service, along with a few magazines. Other critiques of the press had appeared ...
'' (1919), Sinclair made a systematic and incriminating critique of the severe limitations of the " free press" in the United States. Among the topics covered is the use of
yellow journalism Yellow journalism and yellow press are American terms for journalism and associated newspapers that present little or no legitimate, well-researched news while instead using eye-catching headlines for increased sales. Techniques may include ...
techniques created by
William Randolph Hearst William Randolph Hearst Sr. (; April 29, 1863 – August 14, 1951) was an American businessman, newspaper publisher, and politician known for developing the nation's largest newspaper chain and media company, Hearst Communications. His flamboya ...
. Sinclair called ''The Brass Check'' "the most important and most dangerous book I have ever written." According to the ''Brass Check'', "American Journalism is a class institution, serving the rich and spurning the poor." This bias, Sinclair felt, had profound implications for American democracy:
The social body to which we belong is at this moment passing through one of the greatest crises of its history .... What if the nerves upon which we depend for knowledge of this social body should give us false reports of its condition?


''Sylvia'' novels

* ''Sylvia'' (1913) was a novel about a Southern girl. In her autobiography,
Mary Craig Sinclair Mary Craig Sinclair (1882–1961) was a writer and the wife of Upton Sinclair. Early life and education She was born Mary Craig Kimbrough in Greenwood, Mississippi on February 12, 1882, the oldest child of Mary Hunter (Southworth) and Allan McCas ...
said she had written the book based on her own experiences as a girl, and Upton collaborated with her. According to Craig, at her insistence, Sinclair published ''Sylvia'' (1913) under his name. In her 1957 memoir, she described how her husband and she had collaborated on the work: "Upton and I struggled through several chapters of ''Sylvia'' together, disagreeing about something on every page. But now and then each of us admitted that the other had improved something.". When it appeared in 1913, ''The New York Times'' called it "the best novel Mr. Sinclair has yet written–so much the best that it stands in a class by itself." * ''Sylvia's Marriage'' (1914), Craig and Sinclair collaborated on a sequel, also published by John C. Winston Company under Upton Sinclair's name. In his 1962 autobiography, Upton Sinclair wrote: " aryCraig had written some tales of her Southern girlhood; and I had stolen them from her for a novel to be called ''Sylvia''."


''I, Governor of California, and How I Ended Poverty''

This was a pamphlet he published in 1934 as a preface to running for office in the state of California. In the book he outlined his plans to run as a Democrat instead of a Socialist, and imagines his climb to the Democratic nomination, and then subsequent victory by a margin of 100,000 votes.


Lanny Budd series

Between 1940 and 1953, Sinclair wrote a series of 11 novels featuring a central character named Lanny Budd. The son of an American arms manufacturer, Budd is portrayed as holding in the confidence of world leaders, and not simply witnessing events, but often propelling them. As a sophisticated socialite who mingles easily with people from all cultures and
socioeconomic Socioeconomics (also known as social economics) is the social science that studies how economic activity affects and is shaped by social processes. In general it analyzes how modern societies progress, stagnate, or regress because of their l ...
classes, Budd has been characterized as the antithesis of the stereotyped " Ugly American". Sinclair placed Budd within the important political events in the United States and Europe in the first half of the 20th century. An actual company named the Budd Company manufactured arms during World War II, founded by Edward G. Budd in 1912. The novels were bestsellers upon publication and were published in translation, appearing in 21 countries. The third book in the series, '' Dragon's Teeth'' (1942), won the
Pulitzer Prize for the Novel The Pulitzer Prize for Fiction is one of the seven American Pulitzer Prizes that are annually awarded for Letters, Drama, and Music. It recognizes distinguished fiction by an American author, preferably dealing with American life, published durin ...
in 1943. Out of print and nearly forgotten for years, ebook editions of the Lanny Budd series were published in 2016. The Lanny Budd series includes: * '' World's End'', 1940 * '' Between Two Worlds'', 1941 * '' Dragon's Teeth'', 1942 * '' Wide Is the Gate'', 1943 * ''
Presidential Agent ''Presidential Agent'' is the fifth novel in Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd series. First published in 1944, the story covers the period from 1937 to 1938. Plot Visiting New York in 1937 to see paintings for sale, Lanny runs into his old mentor from ...
'', 1944 * '' Dragon Harvest'', 1945 * '' A World to Win'', 1946 * '' Presidential Mission'', 1947 * '' One Clear Call'', 1948 * '' O Shepherd, Speak!'', 1949 * '' The Return of Lanny Budd'', 1953


Other works

Sinclair was keenly interested in health and nutrition. He experimented with various diets, and with fasting. He wrote about this in his book, '' The Fasting Cure'' (1911), another bestseller. He believed that periodic fasting was important for health, saying, "I had taken several fasts of ten or twelve days' duration, with the result of a complete making over of my health". Sinclair favored a raw food diet of predominantly vegetables and nuts. For long periods of time, he was a complete vegetarian, but he also experimented with eating meat. His attitude to these matters was fully explained in the chapter, "The Use of Meat", in the above-mentioned book. In the last years of his life, Sinclair strictly ate three meals a day consisting only of brown rice, fresh fruit and celery, topped with powdered milk and salt, and pineapple juice to drink.


Representation in popular culture

* Sinclair is featured as one of the main characters in
Chris Bachelder Chris Bachelder (born 1971) is an American writer and frequent contributor to the publications '' McSweeney's Quarterly Concern'' and '' The Believer''. Born in Minneapolis, Minnesota, he grew up in Christiansburg, Virginia. He attended Virgin ...
's satirical novel, ''U.S.!'' (2005). Repeatedly, Sinclair is resurrected after his death and assassinated again, a "personification of the contemporary failings of the American left". He is portrayed as a
quixotic Quixotic may refer to: * Quixotism, deriving from the novel ''Don Quixote'' * ''Quixotic'' (album), an album by Martina Topley-Bird * Quix*o*tic Quix*o*tic was a rock band active from 1997 to 2002 in the area of Washington, D.C., United States. T ...
reformer attempting to stir an apathetic American public to implement socialism in America. *
Sinclair Lewis Harry Sinclair Lewis (February 7, 1885 – January 10, 1951) was an American writer and playwright. In 1930, he became the first writer from the United States (and the first from the Americas) to receive the Nobel Prize in Literature, which was ...
refers to Sinclair and his EPIC plan in Lewis' novel, ''
It Can't Happen Here ''It Can't Happen Here'' is a 1935 dystopian political novel by American author Sinclair Lewis. It describes the rise of a United States dictator similar to how Adolf Hitler gained power. The novel was adapted into a play by Lewis and John C. Mo ...
'' (1935). * Joyce Carol Oates refers to Sinclair and his first wife, Meta, in her novel '' The Accursed'' (2013). * Sinclair appears in the
American Empire American imperialism refers to the expansion of American political, economic, cultural, and media influence beyond the boundaries of the United States. Depending on the commentator, it may include imperialism through outright military conquest ...
trilogy (2001–2003), part of the wider
Southern Victory The ''Southern Victory'' series or Timeline-191 is a series of eleven alternate history novels by author Harry Turtledove, beginning with ''How Few Remain'' (1997) and published over a decade. The period addressed in the series begins during th ...
series of alternate history novels by
Harry Turtledove Harry Norman Turtledove (born June 14, 1949) is an American author who is best known for his work in the genres of alternate history, historical fiction, fantasy, science fiction, and mystery fiction. He is a student of history and completed ...
. In the series, Sinclair becomes president of the United States, serving from 1921 to 1929, as the first president from the Socialist Party. During his administration, he builds up social welfare programs at home and tries to foster peace abroad. Sinclair takes a more lenient stance towards the Confederacy than his predecessor
Theodore Roosevelt Theodore Roosevelt Jr. ( ; October 27, 1858 – January 6, 1919), often referred to as Teddy or by his initials, T. R., was an American politician, statesman, soldier, conservationist, naturalist, historian, and writer who served as the 26t ...
did, cancelling Great War reparations following the assassination of Confederate President Wade Hampton V in 1922. * Sinclair appears in
T. C. Boyle Thomas Coraghessan Boyle, also known as T. C. Boyle and T. Coraghessan Boyle (born December 2, 1948), is an American novelist and short story writer. Since the mid-1970s, he has published sixteen novels and more than 100 short stories. He won the ...
's novel '' The Road to Wellville'' (1993), which is built around a historical fictionalization of
John Harvey Kellogg John Harvey Kellogg (February 26, 1852 – December 14, 1943) was an American medical doctor, nutritionist, inventor, health activist, eugenicist, and businessman. He was the director of the Battle Creek Sanitarium in Battle Creek, Michigan. The ...
, the inventor of
Corn Flakes Corn flakes, or cornflakes, are a breakfast cereal made from toasting flakes of corn (maize). The cereal, originally made with wheat, was created by Will Kellogg in 1894 for patients at the Battle Creek Sanitarium where he worked with his bro ...
and the founder of the
Battle Creek Sanitarium The Battle Creek Sanitarium was a world-renowned health resort in Battle Creek, Michigan, United States. It started in 1866 on health principles advocated by the Seventh-day Adventist Church and from 1876 to 1943 was managed by Dr. John H ...
. In the book, Sinclair and his first wife, Meta, appear as patients at the Sanitarium. Later, Kellogg is outraged when he discovers that another of his patients has been fasting after reading a typescript of Sinclair's ''The Fasting Cure''. * He was portrayed by Bill Nye in David Fincher's 2020 biopic '' Mank''.


Films

* ''
The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...
'' (1914) is a silent film adaptation of the 1906 novel, with George Nash playing Jurgis Rudkus and Gail Kane playing Ona Lukozsaite. The film is considered
lost Lost may refer to getting lost, or to: Geography *Lost, Aberdeenshire, a hamlet in Scotland * Lake Okeechobee Scenic Trail, or LOST, a hiking and cycling trail in Florida, US History *Abbreviation of lost work, any work which is known to have bee ...
. Sinclair appears at the beginning and end of the film as a form of endorsement. * ''
The Wet Parade ''The Wet Parade'' is a 1932 American pre-Code drama film directed by Victor Fleming and starring Robert Young, Myrna Loy, Walter Huston, Lewis Stone and Jimmy Durante. It is based on the 1931 novel by Upton Sinclair. The film shows how two ...
'' (1932) is a film adaptation of Sinclair's eponymous 1931 novel, directed by Victor Fleming and starring
Lewis Stone Lewis Shepard Stone (November 15, 1879 – September 12, 1953) was an American film actor. He spent 29 years as a contract player at Metro-Goldwyn-Mayer and was best known for his portrayal of Judge James Hardy in the studio's popular ''Andy H ...
, , Dorothy Jordan, Neil Hamilton, Robert Young, and Jimmy Durante.
Myrna Loy Myrna Loy (born Myrna Adele Williams; August 2, 1905 – December 14, 1993) was an American film, television and stage actress. Trained as a dancer, Loy devoted herself fully to an acting career following a few minor roles in silent films. ...
appears very briefly as an actress who runs an elegant speakeasy. *
Walt Disney Productions The Walt Disney Company, commonly known as Disney (), is an American multinational mass media and entertainment conglomerate headquartered at the Walt Disney Studios complex in Burbank, California. Disney was originally founded on October 1 ...
adapted ''The Gnomobile'' (1937) into the 1967 musical motion picture ''
The Gnome-Mobile ''The Gnome-Mobile'' is a 1967 American fantasy comedy film directed by Robert Stevenson and produced by Walt Disney Productions. Based on the 1936 book ''The Gnomobile'' by Upton Sinclair, it was one of the last films personally supervised by ...
''. * ''
Oil! ''Oil!'' is a novel by Upton Sinclair, first published in 1926–27 and told as a third-person narrative, with only the opening pages written in the first person. The book was written in the context of the Harding administration's Teapot Dome Sc ...
'' (1927) was adapted as the film ''
There Will Be Blood ''There Will Be Blood'' is a 2007 American period drama film written and directed by Paul Thomas Anderson, loosely based on the 1927 novel '' Oil!'' by Upton Sinclair. It stars Daniel Day-Lewis as Daniel Plainview, a silver miner turned oilm ...
'' (2007), starring
Daniel Day-Lewis Sir Daniel Michael Blake Day-Lewis (born 29 April 1957) is an English retired actor. Often described as one of the preeminent actors of his generation, he received numerous accolades throughout his career which spanned over four decades, incl ...
and
Paul Dano Paul Franklin Dano (; born June 19, 1984) is an American actor. He began his career on Broadway before making his film debut in ''The Newcomers'' (2000). He won the Independent Spirit Award for Best Debut Performance for his role in '' L.I.E.' ...
, and directed by
Paul Thomas Anderson Paul Thomas Anderson (born June 26, 1970), also known by his initials PTA, is an American filmmaker. He made his feature-film debut with ''Hard Eight (film), Hard Eight'' (1996). He found critical and commercial success with ''Boogie Nights'' ( ...
. The film received eight
Oscar Oscar, OSCAR, or The Oscar may refer to: People * Oscar (given name), an Irish- and English-language name also used in other languages; the article includes the names Oskar, Oskari, Oszkár, Óscar, and other forms. * Oscar (Irish mythology) ...
nominations and won two. * In David Fincher's film drama '' Mank'' (2020), Bill Nye has a small role as Sinclair running for 1934 California governor race as the Democratic nominee.


Works

Fiction * Sinclair, Upton. ''Upton sinclair anthology'' (1947
online
* Engs, Ruth Clifford, ed. ''Unseen Upton Sinclair: Nine Unpublished Stories, Essays and Other Works.'' (McFarland & Co. 2009). * ''Courtmartialed'' – 1898 * ''Saved By the Enemy'' – 1898 * ''The Fighting Squadron'' – 1898 * ''A Prisoner of Morro'' – 1898 * ''A Soldier Monk'' – 1898 * ''A Gauntlet of Fire'' – 1899 * ''Holding the Fort''  – 1899 * ''A Soldier's Pledge'' – 1899 * ''Wolves of the Navy'' – 1899 * '' Springtime and Harvest'' – 1901, reissued the same year as ''King Midas'' * ''
The Journal of Arthur Stirling ''The Journal of Arthur Stirling'' is a novel by author Upton Sinclair, published in 1903. It is written in a first-person perspective, with the main fictional character being Arthur Stirling. Stirling, unknown poet and writer sets out to write hi ...
'' – 1903 * ''Off For West Point'' – 1903 * ''From Port to Port'' – 1903 * ''On Guard'' – 1903 * ''A Strange Cruise'' – 1903 * ''The West Point Rivals'' – 1903 * ''A West Point Treasure'' – 1903 * ''A Cadet's Honor'' – 1903 * ''Cliff, the Naval Cadet'' – 1903 * ''The Cruise of the Training Ship'' – 1903 * ''Prince Hagen'' – 1903 * ''Manassas: A Novel of the War'' – 1904, reissued in 1959 as ''Theirs be the Guilt'' * ''A Captain of Industry'' – 1906 * ''
The Jungle ''The Jungle'' is a 1906 novel by the American journalist and novelist Upton Sinclair. Sinclair's primary purpose in describing the meat industry and its working conditions was to advance socialism in the United States. However, most readers we ...
'' – 1906 * ''The Overman'' – 1907 * ''The Industrial Republic'' – 1907 * ''The Metropolis'' – 1908 * ''The Moneychangers'' – 1908, reprinted as ''The Money Changers'' * ''Samuel The Seeker'' – 1910 * ''Love's Pilgrimage'' – 1911 * ''Damaged Goods'' – 1913 * ''Sylvia'' – 1913 * ''Sylvia's Marriage'' – 1914 * ''
King Coal ''King Coal'' is a 1917 novel by Upton Sinclair that describes the poor working conditions in the coal mining industry in the western United States during the 1910s, from the perspective of a single protagonist, Hal Warner. As in his earlier wor ...
'' – 1917 * ''Jimmie Higgins'' – 1919 * ''Debs and the Poets'' – 1920 * ''100% - The Story of a Patriot'' – 1920 * ''The Spy'' – 1920 * '' They Call Me Carpenter: A Tale of the Second Coming'' – 1922 * ''The Millennium'' – 1924 *
The Goslings: A Study of the American Schools
' – 1924 * ''The Spokesman's Secretary'' – 1926 * ''Money Writes!'' – 1927 * ''
Oil! ''Oil!'' is a novel by Upton Sinclair, first published in 1926–27 and told as a third-person narrative, with only the opening pages written in the first person. The book was written in the context of the Harding administration's Teapot Dome Sc ...
'' – 1927 * ''
Boston Boston (), officially the City of Boston, is the state capital and most populous city of the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, as well as the cultural and financial center of the New England region of the United States. It is the 24th- mo ...
'', 2 vols. – 1928 * ''Mountain City'' – 1930 * ''
Roman Holiday ''Roman Holiday'' is a 1953 American romantic comedy film directed and produced by William Wyler. It stars Audrey Hepburn as a princess out to see Rome on her own and Gregory Peck as a reporter. Hepburn won an Academy Award for Best Actress f ...
'' – 1931 * ''The Wet Parade'' – 1931 * ''American Outpost'' – 1932 * ''The Way Out (novel)'' – 1933 * ''Immediate Epic'' – 1933 * ''The Lie Factory Starts'' – 1934 * ''The Book of Love'' – 1934 * ''Depression Island'' – 1935 * ''Co-op: a Novel of Living Together'' – 1936 * '' The Gnomobile'' – 1936, 1962 * ''Wally for Queen'' – 1936 * ''No Pasaran!: A Novel of the Battle of Madrid'' – 1937 * '' The Flivver King: A Story of Ford-America '' – 1937 * '' Little Steel'' – 1938 * ''Our Lady'' – 1938 * ''Expect No Peace'' – 1939 * ''Marie Antoinette (novel)'' – 1939 * ''Telling The World'' – 1939 * ''Your Million Dollars'' – 1939 * '' World's End'' – 1940 * ''World's End Impending'' – 1940 * '' Between Two Worlds'' – 1941 * '' Dragon's Teeth'' – 1942 * '' Wide Is the Gate'' – 1943 * ''
Presidential Agent ''Presidential Agent'' is the fifth novel in Upton Sinclair's Lanny Budd series. First published in 1944, the story covers the period from 1937 to 1938. Plot Visiting New York in 1937 to see paintings for sale, Lanny runs into his old mentor from ...
'' – 1944 * '' Dragon Harvest'' – 1945 * '' A World to Win'' – 1946 * '' A Presidential Mission'' – 1947 * ''A Giant's Strength'' – 1948 * ''Limbo on the Loose'' – 1948 * '' One Clear Call'' – 1948 * '' O Shepherd, Speak!'' – 1949 * ''Another Pamela'' – 1950 * ''Schenk Stefan!'' – 1951 * ''A Personal Jesus'' – 1952 * '' The Return of Lanny Budd'' – 1953 * ''What Didymus Did'' – UK 1954 / ''It Happened to Didymus'' – US 1958 * ''Theirs Be the Guilt'' – 1959 * ''Affectionately Eve'' – 1961 * ''
The Coal War ''The Coal War'' is a novel by Upton Sinclair Upton Beall Sinclair Jr. (September 20, 1878 – November 25, 1968) was an American writer, muckraker, political activist and the 1934 Democratic Party nominee for governor of California w ...
'' – 1976 Autobiographical * ''The Autobiography of Upton Sinclair.'' With Maeve Elizabeth Flynn III. New York: Harcourt, Brace & World, 1962. * ''My Lifetime in Letters.'' Columbia, MO: University of Missouri Press, 1960
online
* '' The Cup of Fury'' – 1956 Non-fiction * ''Good Health and How We Won It: With an Account of New Hygiene (1909)'' – 1909 * '' The Fasting Cure'' – 1911 * '' The Profits of Religion'' – 1917 * ''
The Brass Check ''The Brass Check'' is a muckraking exposé of American journalism by Upton Sinclair published in 1919. It focuses mainly on newspapers and the Associated Press wire service, along with a few magazines. Other critiques of the press had appeared ...
'' – 1919 * ''The McNeal-Sinclair Debate on Socialism'' – 1921 * ''The Book of Life'' – 1921 * '' The Goose-Step'' – 1923 * '' Mammonart. An essay on economic interpretation.'' – 1925 * ''Letters to Judd, an American Workingman'' – 1925 * '' Mental Radio: Does it work, and how?'' – 1930, 1962 * '' Upton Sinclair Presents William Fox'' – 1933 * ''We, People of America, and how we ended poverty : a true story of the future'' – 1933 * ''I, Governor of California – and How I Ended Poverty'' – 1933 * ''The Epic Plan for California'' – 1934 * ''I, Candidate for Governor – and How I Got Licked'' – 1935 * ''Epic Answers: How to End Poverty in California (1935)'' – 1934 * ''What God Means to Me'' – 1936 * ''Upton Sinclair on the Soviet Union'' – 1938 * ''Letters to a Millionaire'' – 1939 Drama * ''Plays of Protest: The Naturewoman, The Machine, The Second-Story Man, Prince Hagen'' – 1912 * ''The Pot Boiler'' – 1913 (Not published in book form until 1924 - as
Little Blue Book Little Blue Books are a series of small staple-bound books published from 1919 through 1978 by the Haldeman-Julius Publishing Company of Girard, Kansas. They were extremely popular, and achieved a total of 300-500 million booklets sold over the s ...
589, issued by E. Haldeman-Julius.) * ''Hell: A Verse Drama and Photoplay'' – 1924 * ''Singing Jailbirds: A Drama in Four Acts'' – 1924 * ''Bill Porter: A Drama of O. Henry in Prison'' – 1925 * ''The Enemy Had It Too: A Play in Three Acts'' – 1950 As editor * ''The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest'' – 1915


See also

* Upton Sinclair House—in Monrovia, California * Will H. Kindig, a supporter on the Los Angeles City Council


Explanatory notes


References


Further reading

* . * Arthur, Anthony. "Upton Sinclair
''The New York Times'' Nov. 26, 1968
obituary * Blinderman, Abraham, ed. ''Critics on Upton Sinclair; readings in literary criticism'' (1975
online
* Bloodworth Jr., William A. ''Upton Sinclair''. (Twayne, 1977
online
* Coodley, Lauren, editor, ''The Land of Orange Groves and Jails: Upton Sinclair's California.'' Berkeley, CA: Heyday Books, 2004. * Coodley, Lauren. ''Upton Sinclair: California Socialist, Celebrity Intellectual.'' Lincoln, NE: University of Nebraska Press, 2013. * Cook, Timothy. "Upton Sinclair's" The Jungle" and Orwell's" Animal Farm": A Relationship Explored." ''Modern Fiction Studies'' 30.4 (1984): 696–703
online
* Dell, Floyd. ''Upton Sinclair; a study in social protest'' (1970
online
* Duvall, J. Michael. "Processes of Elimination: Progressive-Era Hygienic Ideology, Waste, and Upton Sinclair's The Jungle." ''American Studies'' 43.3 (2002): 29–56
online
* Folsom, Michael Brewster. "Upton Sinclair's Escape from The Jungle: The Narrative Strategy and Suppressed Conclusion of America's First Proletarian Novel." ''Prospects'' 4 (1979): 237–266. * Graf, Rüdiger. "Truth in the Jungle of Literature, Science, and Politics: Upton Sinclair's The Jungle and Food Control Reforms during the Progressive Era." ''Journal of American History'' 106.4 (2020): 901–922. online * Graham, John, ''The Coal War,'' (Colorado Associated University Press, 1976). * Gottesman, Ronald. ''Upton Sinclair: An Annotated Checklist.'' Kent State University Press, 1973. * Harris, Leon. ''Upton Sinclair, American Rebel.'' New York: Thomas Y. Crowell Co, 1975. * Leader, Leonard. "Upton Sinclair's EPIC Switch: A Dilemma for American Socialists." ''Southern California Quarterly'' 62.4 (1980): 361–385. * Mattson, Kevin. ''Upton Sinclair and the Other American Century.'' (John Wiley & Sons, 2006)
online
* Mitchell, Greg. ''The Campaign of the Century: Upton Sinclair and the EPIC Campaign in California.'' New York: Atlantic Monthly Press, 1991. * Mookerjee, R. N. ''Art for social justice : the major novels of Upton Sinclair'' (1988
online
* Pickavance, Jason. "Gastronomic realism: Upton Sinclair's The Jungle, the fight for pure food, and the magic of mastication." ''Food and Foodways'' 11.2–3 (2003): 87–112. * Piep, Karsten H. "War as Proletarian Bildungsroman in Upton Sinclair’s Jimmie Higgins." ''War, Literature, and the Arts: An International Journal of the Humanities'' 17.1–2 (2005): 199–226
online
* Rising, George G. "An EPIC Endeavor: Upton Sinclair's 1934 California Gubernatorial Campaign." ''Southern California Quarterly'' 79.1 (1997): 101–124
online
* Swint, Kerwin. ''Mudslingers: The Twenty-five Dirtiest Political Campaigns of All Time.'' (Praeger, 2006). * Wade, Louise C. "The problem with classroom use of Upton Sinclair's The Jungle." ''American Studies'' 32.2 (1991): 79–101
online
* Wagner, Rob Leicester. ''Hollywood Bohemia: The Roots of Progressive Politics in Rob Wagner's Script'' (Janaway, 2016) () * Yoder, Jon A. ''Upton Sinclair.'' New York: Frederick Ungar, 1975
online
* Zanger, Martin. "Upton Sinclair as California's Socialist Candidate for Congress, 1920," ''Southern California Quarterly,'' vol. 56, no. 4 (Winter 1974), pp. 359–73.


External links

*
Upton Sinclair Collection
at the
Harry Ransom Center The Harry Ransom Center (until 1983 the Humanities Research Center) is an archive, library and museum at the University of Texas at Austin, specializing in the collection of literary and cultural artifacts from the Americas and Europe for the pur ...
*.
Upton Sinclair, "EPIC"
Virtual Museum of the City of San Francisco Virtual may refer to: * Virtual (horse), a thoroughbred racehorse * Virtual channel, a channel designation which differs from that of the actual radio channel (or range of frequencies) on which the signal travels * Virtual function, a programming ...

"A Tribute To Two Sinclairs"
Sinclair Lewis & Upton Sinclair
"Writings of Upton Sinclair"
from
C-SPAN Cable-Satellite Public Affairs Network (C-SPAN ) is an American cable and satellite television network that was created in 1979 by the cable television industry as a nonprofit public service. It televises many proceedings of the United States ...
's '' American Writers: A Journey Through History''
Upton Sinclair – Induction into the Chicago Literary Hall of Fame

Image of Upton Sinclair and wife Mary Craig, Santa Barbara, California, 1935.
Los Angeles Times The ''Los Angeles Times'' (abbreviated as ''LA Times'') is a daily newspaper that started publishing in Los Angeles in 1881. Based in the LA-adjacent suburb of El Segundo since 2018, it is the sixth-largest newspaper by circulation in the Un ...
Photographic Archive (Collection 1429). UCLA Library Special Collections, Charles E. Young Research Library,
University of California, Los Angeles The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) is a public land-grant research university in Los Angeles, California. UCLA's academic roots were established in 1881 as a teachers college then known as the southern branch of the California St ...
.


Electronic editions

* * * * * *
''The Cry for Justice: An Anthology of the Literature of Social Protest''
Bartleby.com
"Upton Sinclair's 1929 letter to John Beardsley"
Upton Sinclair to John Beardsley {{DEFAULTSORT:Sinclair, Upton 1878 births 1968 deaths 19th-century American male writers 19th-century American novelists 20th-century American male writers 20th-century American novelists Activists from California American democratic socialists American investigative journalists American male non-fiction writers American male novelists American temperance activists Burials at Rock Creek Cemetery California Democrats City College of New York alumni Columbia University alumni Fasting advocates Maryland socialists Novelists from Maryland Novelists from New York (state) People from Bound Brook, New Jersey People from Buckeye, Arizona People from Englewood, New Jersey People from the San Gabriel Valley Progressive Era in the United States Pulitzer Prize for the Novel winners Socialist Party of America politicians from California War Resisters League activists Writers from Baltimore Writers from California Critics of religions Members of the American Academy of Arts and Letters