Description
"When people ask me what has happened in my long lifetime I do not refer them to the newspaper files and to the authorities, but to (Sinclair's) novels." -George Bernard Shaw
"Practically alone among the American writers of his generation, Sinclair put to the American public the fundamental questions raised by capitalism in such a way that they could not escape them." -Edmund Wilson
Upton Sinclair's 1906 bestseller The Jungle is a startling and powerful novel depicting the plight of Jurgis Rudkus, a Slavic worker who immigrated to the United States in the early 20th Century for a better life. His dream of a finding a job, building a family, and buying a home are initially fulfilled in the Union Stock Yards in Chicago. Work in the meatpacking industry proves to be a harrowing and desperate existence, and his personal life is beset by a succession of hardships and tragedy. As bleak as his journey is, Jurgis finally finds his light in a new-found political ideology.
The Jungle is considered profoundly important in its exposure of despair at the margins of working-class life, and the atrocious descriptions of the unsanitary conditions in the meatpacking process. The novel led to revolutionary reform of the industrial food industry and workers' rights, and powerfully addresses many of the same issues that we are still grappling with today.
With a stunning new cover, and professionally typeset manuscript, this edition of The Jungle is both modern and readable.
About the Author
Upton Beall Sinclair Jr., born on September 20, 1878, was an influential American writer, muckraker, and political activist renowned for his involvement in progressive causes and his 1934 bid as the Democratic Party nominee for Governor of California. His literary career was prolific, with nearly 100 books spanning various genres, cementing his reputation as a prominent figure in early 20th-century literature. Sinclair's most notable work, The Jungle, published in 1906, exposed the harsh realities of the U.S. meatpacking industry, leading to significant public outcry and the subsequent enactment of the Pure Food and Drug Act and the Meat Inspection Act the same year. His investigative prowess continued with The Brass Check in 1919, a critical look at American journalism and the concept of a free press, influencing the establishment of the first journalistic code of ethics.Sinclair's writings often reflected his socialist beliefs, portraying the struggles of the working class against industrial magnates, as seen in novels like King Coal, Oil! and The Flivver King. These works not only entertained but served as historical commentaries on the industrialization of the United States, offering insights from both the workers' and industrialists' perspectives. Despite his unsuccessful runs for office, including his campaign for Governor of California during the Great Depression with the End Poverty in California platform, Sinclair's advocacy for social reform and his critique of economic injustices left a lasting impact on American society and literature. His commitment to social justice and his ability to mobilize public opinion through his writing earned him the Pulitzer Prize for Fiction in 1943, a testament to his enduring influence as a writer and reformer.
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