Babbitt * Sinclair Lewis, Kenneth Krauss (Introduction)

This classic American satire follows a prosperous 1920s Midwestern real estate broker whose comfortable, conformist life begins to unravel when a quiet sense of emptiness pushes him toward small acts of rebellion.

The Story. Written by Sinclair Lewis - the first American author to win the Nobel Prize in Literature - and originally published in 1922, this Barnes & Noble Classics edition features an insightful introduction and helpful explanatory notes by scholar Kenneth Krauss.

Set in the fictional Midwestern city of Zenith, the novel introduces George F. Babbitt, a cheerful, conventional businessman with a devoted wife, three children, and a home filled with every modern convenience. Yet beneath his outward enthusiasm for booster clubs and material success, Babbitt feels lonely and restless. Watching his close friend Paul Riesling struggle in an unhappy marriage sparks a mid-life awakening, leading Babbitt to flirt with progressive politics and strike up a romance with a bohemian widow before family crisis draws him back toward familiar expectations.

Perfect For. Classic literature readers, book clubs, and fans of sharp social satire alongside Sinclair Lewis's Main Street and Elmer Gantry, F. Scott Fitzgerald's The Great Gatsby, or Sherwood Anderson's Winesburg, Ohio.

Sinclair Lewis, won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1930, and his novel Babbitt was a major factor in the Swedish Academy's decision.

First published 1922; this edition 2005 by Barnes & Noble Classics.

Fiction / Classics / American Literary Satire / 1920s Realism & Social Commentary / Middle-Class & Business Fiction / Nobel Prize Literature / Annotated Classics