The Autobiography of Upton Sinclair

The Autobiography
of
UPTON SINCLAIR

New York
HARCOURT, BRACE & WORLD, INC.

Printed in the United States of America

Preface

All through my seventy-one years of writing life—I started atthirteen—I have had from my readers suggestions that I should tell myown story. When I was halfway through those writing years I accepted thesuggestion and wrote a book called American Outpost. The major part ofthat book, revised and brought up to date, is incorporated in thisvolume.

I put myself in the position of a veteran of many campaigns who gathersthe youngsters about his knee. He knows these youngsters cannot reallyshare the anguish and turmoil of his early years, for they belong to anew generation which is looking to be entertained and amused. So the oldcampaigner takes a casual and lighthearted tone.

If any old-timer is offended by this—well, there are any number ofserious books, plays, and pamphlets of mine that he can read, plus ananthology and a selection of letters written to me by the really greatwriters of our time. If that is not enough he can travel to theUniversity of Indiana and there, in the Lilly Library, he can read the250,000 letters that have been written to me over the years—and thecarbon copies of my replies. After he has read all this, I shall havewritten more.

Contents