Theodore Dreiser (1871–1945) — an outstanding American writer and public figure. He gained worldwide fame thanks to the trilogy "Titan," "The Stoic," and "The Financier," and the pinnacle of his work was "An American Tragedy."
"Sister Carrie" (1900) is Dreiser’s first novel. The book tells how the notorious "American dream" takes real life form: when a person from the lower classes, overcoming obstacles, moves toward a set goal and reaches the heights of success. The main heroine of the novel is Caroline (Carrie) Meeber, an eighteen-year-old provincial girl from a poor family. After coming to her older sister in Chicago, she is forced to take a hard, low-paid job at a factory—nowhere else will they hire her. Exhausting poverty pushes the fragile girl onto the path of a kept mistress— the lover of successful men, who manipulate her by luring her with false promises. Meanwhile, Carrie dreams of a career as an actress. Whether her dream comes true, you’ll find out by listening to the audio version of the novel.
The first edition of Theodore Dreiser’s novel (1871–1945) came with such difficulties that it drove its creator into a severe depression. But the later fate of "Sister Carrie" turned out to be happy: it was translated into many foreign languages and reissued in million-copy print runs. New and new generations of readers are delighted to plunge into the twists and turns of Caroline Meeber’s life.