Biography

Upton Sinclair was born in 1878 to a privileged family. His mother came from a railroad and banking family and his father had an family history of being in the military. His father became an alcoholic soon after he was born. Sinclair grew up with very little guidance from his unstable father and looked to his mother for love and protection.

His schooling was irregular growing up because his family was constantly moving. He taught himself to read at home and found the literature inspired him to be a writer. As a child he loved Charles Dickens.

Later in life, other work which inspired him included work by Henry David Thoreau and Frank Norris (author of Octopus).

In 1897 he graduated from college and went on to graduate school at Columbia University, but never finished. He later married and had a son.This sudden addition to the family caused him to look for work anywhere possible. He began to write for several newspapers, publishing both weekly and daily articles.

Before writing The Jungle, Sinclair had several other novels that he had written. His focus in writing was to "expose the cruelty and injustice of the social system and for rousing the working classes to an awareness of their human dignity" (Mookerjee).

Through his novels, he became a voice for the lower-class citizens of America. He was a socialist who sought to bring change to the country as it began to become more industrial and organized. His most popular novels were centered on socialist ideals.