Published in 1925, ‘Arrowsmith’ is a satirical novel by the first American to win the Nobel Prize for Literature in 1930, for his vigorous and graphic art of description and his ability to create, with wit and humor, new types of characters, Sinclair Lewis. It is the story of Martin Arrowsmith, a gifted scientist making his way from a small Midwestern town to the apex of the scientific community.
The assistant of a small-town Midwestern doctor, young Arrowsmith is fascinated with the contents of Gray’s Anatomy. Eager to pursue an adventurous career in medicine and science, he eventually sets off for medical school, where he hopes to dedicate himself to research. Arrowsmith follows the titular character from medical school through stints as a small-town doctor and regional health official to his discovery of a virus that destroys bacteria. But as Martin progresses through life, he encounters qualities in humans more troublesome than any of the specimens he examines under a microscope.
Arrowsmith was awarded the 1926 Pulitzer Prize for Fiction, but the award was declined by the author. It has been adapted for radio, film and television.
