Upton Sinclair was one of our most important authors. He wrote “The
Jungle” in 1906 about the meat packing industry. Teddy Roosevelt was so moved
by the book, he ordered an investigation of the meat industry. The findings
provided the momentum to start the FDA. Sinclair used the profits from the book
to fund other socialistic goals. He later wrote the Pulitzer Prize winning
novel “Dragon’s Teeth.” Sinclair distrusted public attention. He vacillated during his career
between being in the spotlight (such as
when he ran for governor of California) and periods of reclusiveness. Perhaps
it is no surprise that in his later years, starting in 1953, he choose the obscure wind swept desert town
of Buckeye, AZ to live in. Here, far away from the public who knew him, he composed his autobiography “My Lifetime in
Letters.” His home was a small desert dwelling surrounded by a cream colored
wall that still ironically stands today at 7th and Roosevelt Street. Upton Sinclair understood the potential of art and perils of art fame, per his quotes: “What art offers is space – a certain
breathing room for the spirit.” “Art is like baby shoes. When you coat them
with gold, they can no longer be worn.”
David Young
John Updike's Home in Buckeye, AZ
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