The Sauk Centre herald., 1924-08-14
CLEVER SOB SISTER
INTERVIEWS LEWIS
SINCLAIR DENIES CAROL is
RESPONSIBLE FOR "MAIN
STREETS" GOLF COURSE
OLD TOWN HAS IMPROVED
SAUK CENTRES RED HEADED
AUTHOR is ALWAYS GOOD
NEWSPAPER copy
(Lorena Hickok in Minneapolis

lHey re paving MAIN SCreeC. and
Gopher Prairie has new golf course.
But Zenith City does not change
much from year to year.
These observations were offered
Tuesday by Sinclair Lewis, who is
spending a few days in zenith City,"
after a visit to Gopher Prairie
1t is unfair to say that, however
insists the creator of "Main Street
and "Babbitt." Here and now, for
the nine thousandth time, he denies
that he was writing tbout Minneapo-
lis or St. Paul or Sauk Centre.
They have assumed that he was,
he declares, and that is all there is to
it. Although Mr.. Lewis never even
limited at such thing-perhaps it
was a case of where the coat fitted,
etc. "
Be that as it may, but assuming for
the purposes of this dissertation that
Mr.. Lewis doesn't know what he is
talking about, and that Sauk Centre
is Gopher Prairie, he says you'd hard
ly know Gopher Prairie these days.
H even admits, rather grudgingly,
that Carol Kennicott herself might
not find life there quite so unbearable
now.
But wait minute Carol did go
back to Gopher Prairie, didn't she
Unblushingly, this hardened reporter
owns up to lapse of memory on
that point. But anyhow, if Carol is
living in Gopher Prairie, what a
"kick" she must be getting out of
that golf course!
Bet you a dozen chocolate ice
cream sodas that she wears golf
knickers. Perhaps the golf course
may be marked up to her credit. Per-
haps she shifted her complex from
chow mein to putting green's. Incl
dentally, an account of how she in
troduced NAH jong to Gopher Prairie
ought not be entirely without flavor
Mr.. Lewis, however, is not inclined
to give Carol credit for the golf
course. He didn't say, but if he
were asked, no doubt he would assign
it to the Commercial club. And as
for Carols reaction to the course:
eff she's like me, she doesn't get
any kick out of it," he says '.But
there are other things that might
make her happier. The asphalt pave
ment on Main street, for instance
and the attractive new homes that
are going up around there 4"
So much for Gopher Prairie. Also
for Zenith City, just lightly touched
in passing. Racing breathlessly with
his thinking machine, rather like a
collie running after an automobile.
Mr.. Lewis dropped "Main Street.
and "Babbitt" and rushed on to his
new book, now appearing serially.
Wiry and red-headed, talking at
45 miles an hour and lighting one
cigarette from another, he sat on the
edge of board, overstuffed divan in
the lobby of the Saint Paul hotel. If
you'd asked him, he'd probably have
said he was lounging. But he wasn't.
Sinnclair Lewis cannot lounge for
more than three seconds consecutive
ly.
''This new book is about scien-
test" he said. I'd say it was about
the soul of a scientist-only that
would sound sentimental" He
stopped to light cigarette.
SCOT a plague in it," he went on,
obviously with relish. "Kill off
lot of the people who ought to have
died of the flu and didn't. Lot of
fun, writing about plague. Kill off
a whole town."
There followed, in whirlwind fash
ion, discussions on: Sleeping sickness;
bubonic plague; the nonsense of
laying down rules of diet, mental and
gastronomic, for young writers; Jo-
seph Conrad: Rudyard Kipling; Ana
tole France; Roman Roland; Villa
Gather; Tow Boyd; George Moore;
Hamlin Garland; fads in magazine
fiction and reporter who asked him
if he didn't think Thomas Hardy was
better writer than Hall Caine.
Then we came to the inevitable
"Great American Novel," 1t hasn't
been, it isn't now, it isn't going to be,
in the opinion of Mr.. Lewis.
'The Great American Novel will
comeout," he said, "when the Great
British Novel, does"