American author Sinclair Lewis refused the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Arrowsmith
American author Sinclair Lewis refused the Pulitzer Prize for his novel Arrowsmith. With his refusal, Lewis released a statement, saying, “All prizes, like all titles, are dangerous. The seekers for prizes tend to labor not for inherent excellence but for alien rewards: they tend to write this, or timorously to avoid writing that, in order to tickle the prejudices of a haphazard committee. And the Pulitzer Prize for novels is peculiarly objectionable because the terms of it have been constantly and grievously misrepresented.” Critics of Lewis believe his refusal may also stem from the fact that he was recommended for the prize for his novels Main Street and Babbit, but both times the decision was overruled by trustees and it was given to a different author. (May 05, 1926)