Community
Sinclair Lewis & the Nobel Prize
215 Down, 4 To Go
An update on one of my favorite posts and a year of hard effort.
A Minnesota Story
In 1930, the Nobel Prize for literature was awarded, for the very first time, to an American. The recipient was Sinclair Lewis, a man born in Sauk Center, MN in 1885. If you are interested, here is his acceptance speech in Sweden accepting the prize. Amongst my many posts here on Substack, I experimented only once with an interview. It remains one of my favorites. The person I profile is the working definition of today’s title. JL and a large group of volunteers brought the book “Free Air” by Sinclair Lewis to life. It was a community effort. There are only four posts to go. If you want to understand this story, the link is worthwhile for context.
The man I profiled (JL) in the interview is a fixture in the town where we raised our children. Whatever the need in Rosemount, MN, JL always seems to be present to say what can I do to help. When I started this Substack, JL was one of my first subscribers. It does not surprise me he became one of the people who always found time to read, comment, and sometimes correct me when I got something wrong. He is always kind with his time and seems to make time for everyone. For my little Substack, JL always made time. While I am thankful, I am not surprised.
Substack provides a nice synopsis of each user’s statistics. I have no reason to doubt their accuracy. JL read nearly every one of my posts, voted the polls with some frequency, and scattered a lot of likes and comments throughout. I know when I moved to stop Substacking, I realized that lots of people theoretically “open” a post but are never or rarely moved to do anything else! As I said once already, I am thankful but not surprised.
What Becomes of An Idea?
When people have an idea I am not sure how many (1) get acted upon (2) come to fruition. What I knew late last year was that JL was going to (1) find the right people (2) raise sufficient funds (3) realize the dream of performing a play of a movie lost since its premiere in 1922. JL works through obstacles and most importantly, delegates well. There is a lot of talent even in the smallest of towns. I marvel at the detailed follow-up against a large vision from the beginning. It is the array of people who worked together to make this play a reality. A lot of that background is available on the city arts website. Here are a few links for those who want a flavor of a small town trying to make a difference.
The Orts That Led To A Play
Sinclair Lewis wrote “Free Air” in 1919. By the next year, he became well known for his book “Main Street” which received consideration for a Pulitzer nomination. By 1926 Lewis was awarded the Pulitzer Prize which he refused. In 1930 he became the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature.
In 1922 “Free Air” was made into a silent movie. No copies of the silent movie currently exist. The screenplay was lost. JL, with no prior experience, decided to write a screenplay from an array of clues left behind in the book, still photos of the filming of the movie in our little town, and the sleuthing of other sources. None of it was possible without the help of others. Sometimes we have all we need but that necessarily requires asking for help when we get stuck.
Opening Night
The show premiered on November 10th. There were six shows in all and my firsthand impression was it was excellent. In the intervening period when the production was envisioned, I ordered a couple of Sinclair Lewis’ books. I read “Elmer Gantry” and “It Can’t Happen Here” last winter. I intentionally avoided “Free Air” because I wanted the show to be my introduction.
I think I will consume many of the Sinclair Lewis books. I have enjoyed them thus far. While not related to “Free Air” I thought “It Can’t Happen Here”, written in 1935 was a cautionary tale about the emergence of Fascism in the United States. Now I understand why a certain t-shirt rose in popularity in America’s recent past. I included a photo of the shirt in the old linked interview. While the quote is not attributable to Lewis, after reading the book, the sentiment is obvious.
"When Fascism comes to America, it will be wrapped in the flag and carrying a cross"
Punching Above Your Weight Class
I loved the play. When I looked at the stage and the setting and all of the volunteer support, it was a community success story. The costumes, the direction, and the props were great! This was far beyond community theater. The car which played a central role in the story was a remarkable labor of love for the gentleman who built it. The play run was two weekends and a great success. The town of Sauk Centre, MN has tentatively engaged to include the performance during the annual Community “Sinclair Lewis Days” festival in the summer of 2025. Here is the website from last summer. I think for the troupe the performances will be a thrill.
The Poll & Music
Since things are winding down for me here on Substack, I have a poll question. I enjoyed making the polls but it always seemed they were more interesting to me than you.
The effort of many and commitment to each other is needed to pull off a performance like Free Air in a small community. Early in my Substack journey, I wrote a post about the history of music development. In that post, I shared a fun street musician version of a song.
The song is about what is required from a group of people working together for each other. This one is worth another listen. For most of you, this is new as this was early days.
Now I have to read Sinclair Lewis. Which book would you recommend first? And why didn't Mr. Lewis accept the Pulitzer prize but was okay with the Nobel?
Because I'm obsessed with anti semitism these days I found this: Nobel Laureate Sinclair Lewis wrote, “There is no greater compliment to the Jews than the fact that the degree of their unpopularity is always the scientific measure of the cruelty and silliness of the regime under which they live” (p. 242). The line comes from the book, It Can’t Happen Here, Lewis’ dystopian novel about the rise of American Fascism.
Huge respect here for Mr. Lewis. Anti semitism was rampant back then and being vocal about your hate is back in vogue.
Mark, thank you for your kind words. I am happy that you emphasized that this was a community project. I need to write a piece with the thesis that someone was watching out for me, aiding me from beyond. From the very conception of the play, everything fell in place. There were probably a dozen steps along the way when if a person or group said no, the play would not have come to fruition. I remain thankful for all those who gave of their time and expertise. I can't forget people like yourself, that continually gave me support and encouragement along my journey. It reminds of the children's book "Little Toot". When one repeatedly hears, "You can do it", it motivates one. It did for me. I shall miss your early morning posts and only hope it takes you along a path of even greater achievement.