The Sauk Centre herald. (Sauk Centre, Stearns County, Minn.) 1886-current, 1934-04-05
Pen Picture
of "Red" Sin
clair Lewis
Magazine Contributor Has In
teresting Story of Sank
Centres Son
IMITATOR
Hates Conventionalities - A
Human Jig-Saw Puzzle,
Wonderful to Behold

w. E. Woodward, in a recent is
sue of the New Yorker, painted an
interesting. If somewhat inaccur-
ate word picture Of Red" Sinclair
Lewis, Sank Centres famous son.
He tells of the authors reaction
when he was notified of his being
awarded the Noble prize, the height
of International honors for liter
TRY effort.
The rejecting Of the Pulitzer
prize of $1,000 was commented up
on. The Herald editor has always
looked upon the rejection Of the
Pulitzer prize as the cleverest adj
vertising stunt ever pulled. The
rejection was good for first page,
top column story in every metro
politan newspaper of the country.
Learned editorial writers discussed
the rejection unanimously. This
little act gave Lewis nationwide
advertising which could not be pur-
chased for any sum.
Mr.. Woodward's story, which fill
lows, will be of interest to many
Herald readers:
Sinclair Lewis Is the only Ameri-
can who has ever received the No
bel Prize for literature, the worlds
highest literary award. When this
award was made, a perspiring New
York correspondent of Stock
holm newspaper, all aglow with
the news, reached Mr.. Lewis by
telephone in Westport, Connecti-
cut.
You hat de Nobel Brizel" he
shouted excitedly.
"Oh yeah?" Lewis replied. "You
don't say" He thought a joke was
being played on him by one of his
cronies. Listen, Ferd." he contin-
ued, "our Swedish accents no
good. I'll repeat 1t to you" He
repeated the announcement in a
form that was more Swedish than
the Swede's. The bewildered rep
resentative Of the newspaper final
ly called an American to the phone
to convey the news. After Lewis
had begun to recover from the
shock Of surprise, he called up
Mrs. Lewis, then in New York.
Dorothy" he said, "oh, Doro-
thy"
She thought he was sick and
asked in quick alarm, Whats the
matter?"
Dorothy, I've got the Nobel
Prize" Two years Of married life
had accustomed Mrs. Lewis to
persif1age and play-acting.
ooh, have you" she said in dis
belief. How NIGEL Well, have
news for you, too. I've just been
awarded the Order Of the Garter"
In this vein the winner and his
wife accepted the announcement
of the Nobel Prize. Mr.. Lewis had
already been awarded the Pulitzer
Prize and had rejected it with
scorn. The Nobel Prize made him
world figure.
Lewis was born 40 years ago in
Sank Centre, a village on a wind
swept Minnesota prairie. His IA
Their was a country doctor, tired
and worn by carrying on a poorly
paid practice that spread for miles
over sparesly settled farm lands.
In Sank Centre, the town banker,
the merchants. the real-estate men
were the big people-they and their
families. They owned buildings,
they held mortgages on farms,
they lent money, they talked Of
dollars and civic improvements.
Lewis was a highly sensitive
youth. He saw, and listened, and
remembered. He looked at the
towns magnates with admiration
and envy. His picture of a sue
cessful career included a comfort
able, wide-spreading home, placid
wife, nice car, nice children, big
life insurance, country clubs, af-
fable friends on every street, and
directorships in this and that.
But for Sinclair Lewis it was
nevertheless an unavoidable life
pattern. He was a thin-chested
boy, too tall for his weight. He
was lacking in physical strength
and not much good in juvenile
sports. He loved books, especially
the romances Of Sir Walter Scott.
and he read voraciously every
thing in print that came his way.
At home he impersonated ludi-
Continued on Page Four)