Elmer Gantry, published in 1927, is Sinclair Lewis’s biting satire of religious hypocrisy and American evangelism. The novel follows its titular character, a brash and manipulative preacher who rises through the ranks of the evangelical movement despite his moral failings. With razor-sharp prose and unflinching realism, Lewis exposes the commercialization of faith and the contradictions within religious institutions. Though controversial at the time of publication, Elmer Gantry remains a powerful critique of charisma without conscience and a cornerstone of American literary satire.
