Sinclair Lewis

Main Street (1920) was controversial because it ruthlessly satirized the narrow-mindedness and hypocrisy of small-town American life, which was considered a sacred cow at the time. The novel follows Carol Kennicott's attempts to reform the town of Gopher Prairie, Minnesota. Its biting realism shocked readers but made Lewis a household name.

George F. Babbitt, the titular character of Lewis's 1922 novel Babbitt, became the archetype for the conformist, middle-class businessman. The term 'Babbitt' even entered the dictionary to describe a person who is unthinkingly devoted to business success and social conformity. The novel critiques the emptiness of this lifestyle.

When Lewis won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930, he became the first American writer to ever receive the award. The Nobel committee cited his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create new types of characters. This marked a turning point in the international recognition of American literature.

Yes, Lewis wrote It Can't Happen Here in 1935, a dystopian political novel. The book imagines the election of a fascist dictator, Berzelius 'Buzz' Windrip, to the U.S. presidency. The novel was adapted into a stage play and experienced a massive resurgence in sales during the mid-2010s.