The Journal of Arthur Stirling

The Journal of Arthur Stirling is a novel by author Upton Sinclair, published in 1903. It is written in a first-person perspective, with the main fictional character being Arthur Stirling. Stirling, an unknown poet and writer, sets out to write his first poem, The Captive. He begins writing a journal to help him further his work as an artist—the novel being the journal. The novel begins with an introduction by a character who calls himself, "S."; Stirling already dead by suicide, sends S. a copy of the journal, as well as The Captive for him to read. S. explains the production of the novel in a sense of tribute to Stirling.

The Journal of Arthur Stirling
First UK edition
AuthorUpton Sinclair
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
GenreDrama/Journal
PublisherD. Appleton & Company (US)
Heinemann (UK)
Publication date
1903
Media typePrint (hardcover)
Pagesxiv+356[1]

Sinclair planted an obituary for Stirling in The New York Times "to raise a sensation", but was widely criticized by journalists and editors for the hoax.[2]

Upton Sinclair's original version is currently in the Public Domain.

Reception edit

... if the young man really lived, and, above all, died, as described by this book, then the critic is to a great extent disarmed. ...
We have said, and, as we desire to be fair, we repeat, that the book is clever. But it is not original, and not particularly wholesome.[3]

References edit

  1. ^ The Journal of Arthur Sinclair. D. Appleton and Company. 1903.
  2. ^ Gajda, Amy (2022). Seek and hide: the tangled history of the right to privacy. [New York]. p. 102. ISBN 978-1-9848-8074-1. OCLC 1260820973.{{cite book}}: CS1 maint: location missing publisher (link)
  3. ^ "Review of The Journal of Arthur Stirling". The Athenaeum (3947): 778–779. June 20, 1903.

External links edit