En 1906, la parution de La Jungle provoque un scandale sans précédent : Upton Sinclair y dévoile l'horreur de la condition ouvrière dans les abattoirs de Chicago aux mains des trusts de la viande. La Jungle est bientôt traduit en dix-sept langues tandis que l'auteur, menacé par les cartels mais porté par le mécontentement populaire, est reçu à la Maison-Blanche par le président Theodore Roosevelt. Une enquête va confirmer ce qu'avance Sinclair et donner lieu à une vague de réformes qui touchent la vie économique toute entière. La Jungle, par sa puissance d'évocation, par sa sincérité, transforment le message humanitaire en épopée.
Comme Émile Zola, Upton Sinclair n'a rien d'un styliste extasié : il peint large, vite, puissant, il emporte le lecteur et l'incite à s'insurger : Sinclair n'aurait pas renié l'acception utilitaire de son travail. Pourtant Pétrole ! demeure un récit d'aventure.
Tel Géant, livre qui fut lui aussi adapté au cinéma, ce roman se veut le roman du pétrole, volontiers scélérat, que Sinclair avait déjà affronté en manifestant contre les Rockefeller. [...] Sept cents pages d'idéalisme, empreintes de toutes les composantes du roman d'éducation : on sent qu'Upton Sinclair aspire à donner vie à la chimère de la littérature américaine de tout temps, the great American novel, le grand roman américain à l'échelle du pays-continent qui, une fois pour toutes, s'inscrira dans l'histoire littéraire.
Extraits de la préface d'Olivier Barrot.
Gnomes are rare these days - which is why so few people ever see them. But Elizabeth and her Uncle find two forlorn little people, the last of a tribe of California Redwood gnomes. When they hear Glogo's sad story, they get in Uncle Rodney's shiny car (The Gnomobile) to search for another tribe of gnomes and a wife for young Bobo. But curiosity seekers cause one problem after another until something really terrible happens... Bobo and Glogo are gnome-gnaped!
This is the wildly amusing tale of two gnomes, Glogo and Bobo, who travel to America in the company of two human friends in their custom gnomobile...
In the untamed wilderness of the Pacific Northwest, a young woman named Una embarks on a transformative journey that will forever alter her destiny. As she ventures deep into the heart of nature, she encounters a world of wonder and danger, where the boundaries between humanity and the animal kingdom blur.
Una's quest for self-discovery leads her to confront her own primal instincts and the complexities of human nature. Along the way, she encounters a cast of unforgettable characters, including a wise old hermit, a rugged frontiersman, and a mysterious Native American guide. As she navigates the challenges of the wilderness, Una must confront her fears, embrace her strengths, and ultimately find her true place in the world.
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"The Jungle" is a fictional novel written by Upton Sinclair, an American muckraker author, in the early 20th century. The book exposes the corruption in government and business, particularly in the meatpacking industry. Sinclair spent seven weeks working incognito in the Chicago stockyards to gather information for the novel. The story follows Jurgis Rudkus, a Lithuanian immigrant, and his struggles to support his family in Chicago. The novel depicts the harsh living and working conditions, poverty, and lack of social support experienced by the working class. It also highlights health violations and unsanitary practices in the meatpacking industry, leading to public outcry and sanitation reforms. Despite facing numerous hardships, Jurgis eventually becomes involved in crime and later embraces socialism. "The Jungle" had a significant impact on food safety regulations and remains a powerful critique of the capitalist system.
