The Journal of Arthur Stirling

1903 novel by Upton Sinclair

The Journal of Arthur Stirling
First UK edition
Author	Upton Sinclair
Language	English
Genre	Drama/Journal
Publisher	D. Appleton & Company (US) Heinemann (UK)
Publication date	1903
Publication place	United States
Media type	Print (hardcover)
Pages	xiv+356^[1]

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.

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

A reviewer in The Athenaeum wrote:

... 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

^ The Journal of Arthur Sinclair. D. Appleton and Company. 1903.
^ 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)
^ "Review of The Journal of Arthur Stirling". The Athenaeum (3947): 778–779. June 20, 1903.