August Derleth: Difference between revisions
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==Life== | ==Life== | ||
The son of William Julius Derleth and Rose Louise Volk, Derleth grew up in [[Sauk City, Wisconsin]].<ref name="captimes2">"August Derleth Services Wednesday in Sauk City", ''Capital Times'', July 6, 1971, p. 24, col. 2.</ref> He was educated in local parochial and public high school. Derleth wrote his first fiction at age 13. He was interested most in reading, and he made three trips to the library a week. He would save his money to buy books (his personal library exceeded 12,000 volumes later on in life). Some of his biggest influences were [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]]'s essays, [[Walt Whitman]], [[H. L. Mencken]]'s ''[[The American Mercury]]'', [[Samuel Johnson]]'s ''[[The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia]]'', [[ | The son of William Julius Derleth and Rose Louise Volk, Derleth grew up in [[Sauk City, Wisconsin]].<ref name="captimes2">"August Derleth Services Wednesday in Sauk City", ''Capital Times'', July 6, 1971, p. 24, col. 2.</ref> He was educated in local parochial and public high school. Derleth wrote his first fiction at age 13. He was interested most in reading, and he made three trips to the library a week. He would save his money to buy books (his personal library exceeded 12,000 volumes later on in life). Some of his biggest influences were [[Ralph Waldo Emerson]]'s essays, [[Walt Whitman]], [[H. L. Mencken]]'s ''[[The American Mercury]]'', [[Samuel Johnson]]'s ''[[The History of Rasselas, Prince of Abissinia]]'', [[Alexandre Dumas]], [[Edgar Allan Poe]], [[Walter Scott]], and [[Henry David Thoreau]]'s ''[[Walden]].'' | ||
Forty rejected stories and three years later, according to anthologist Jim Stephens, he sold his first story, "Bat's Belfry", to ''[[Weird Tales]]'' magazine in 1926. Derleth wrote throughout his four years at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison|University of Wisconsin]], where he received a [[Bachelor's Degree|B.A.]] in 1930.<ref name="captimes1">{{cite news|title=Author August Derleth Dies|date=July 5, 1971|newspaper=Capital Times|page=1, col. 6}}</ref> During this time he also served briefly as associate editor of Minneapolis-based [[Fawcett Publications]] ''Mystic Magazine''. | Forty rejected stories and three years later, according to anthologist Jim Stephens, he sold his first story, "Bat's Belfry", to ''[[Weird Tales]]'' magazine in 1926. Derleth wrote throughout his four years at the [[University of Wisconsin–Madison|University of Wisconsin]], where he received a [[Bachelor's Degree|B.A.]] in 1930.<ref name="captimes1">{{cite news|title=Author August Derleth Dies|date=July 5, 1971|newspaper=Capital Times|page=1, col. 6}}</ref> During this time he also served briefly as associate editor of Minneapolis-based [[Fawcett Publications]] ''Mystic Magazine''. | ||
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In 1948, he was elected president of the Associated Fantasy Publishers at the [[6th World Science Fiction Convention]] in [[Toronto]].<ref name="chtr480926">{{cite news |first=Vincent |last=Starett |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |title=Books Alive |page=4 |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1948/09/26/page/184/article/magazine-of-books |date=September 26, 1948 |access-date=March 7, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402182947/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1948/09/26/page/184/article/magazine-of-books/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | In 1948, he was elected president of the Associated Fantasy Publishers at the [[6th World Science Fiction Convention]] in [[Toronto]].<ref name="chtr480926">{{cite news |first=Vincent |last=Starett |newspaper=[[Chicago Tribune]] |title=Books Alive |page=4 |url=http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1948/09/26/page/184/article/magazine-of-books |date=September 26, 1948 |access-date=March 7, 2015 |archive-date=April 2, 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150402182947/http://archives.chicagotribune.com/1948/09/26/page/184/article/magazine-of-books/ |url-status=live }}</ref> | ||
He was married April 6, 1953, to Sandra Evelyn Winters. They divorced six years later.<ref name="captimes1" /> Derleth retained custody of the couple's two children, [[April Rose Derleth]] and [[Walden William Derleth]]. April earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977. She became majority stockholder, President, and CEO of Arkham House in 1994. She remained in that capacity until her death. She was known in the community as a naturalist and humanitarian. April died on March 21, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/22/obituary-april-r-derleth/|title=SF Site News » Obituary: April R. Derleth|access-date=March 23, 2019|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023060750/https://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/22/obituary-april-r-derleth/|url-status= | He was married April 6, 1953, to Sandra Evelyn Winters. They divorced six years later.<ref name="captimes1" /> Derleth retained custody of the couple's two children, [[April Rose Derleth]] and [[Walden William Derleth]]. April earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1977. She became majority stockholder, President, and CEO of Arkham House in 1994. She remained in that capacity until her death. She was known in the community as a naturalist and humanitarian. April died on March 21, 2011.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/22/obituary-april-r-derleth/|title=SF Site News » Obituary: April R. Derleth|access-date=March 23, 2019|archive-date=October 23, 2020|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20201023060750/https://www.sfsite.com/news/2011/03/22/obituary-april-r-derleth/|url-status=dead}}</ref> | ||
In 1960, Derleth began editing and publishing a magazine called ''Hawk and Whippoorwill'', dedicated to poems of man and nature. | In 1960, Derleth began editing and publishing a magazine called ''Hawk and Whippoorwill'', dedicated to poems of man and nature. | ||
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A lighter side to the ''Sac Prairie Saga'' is a series of quasi-autobiographical short stories known as the "Gus Elker Stories", amusing tales of country life that [[Peter Ruber]], Derleth's last editor, said were "… models of construction and… fused with some of the most memorable characters in American literature." Most were written between 1934 and the late 1940s, though the last, "Tail of the Dog", was published in 1959 and won the ''Scholastic Magazine'' short story award for the year. The series was collected and republished in ''Country Matters'' in 1996. | A lighter side to the ''Sac Prairie Saga'' is a series of quasi-autobiographical short stories known as the "Gus Elker Stories", amusing tales of country life that [[Peter Ruber]], Derleth's last editor, said were "… models of construction and… fused with some of the most memorable characters in American literature." Most were written between 1934 and the late 1940s, though the last, "Tail of the Dog", was published in 1959 and won the ''Scholastic Magazine'' short story award for the year. The series was collected and republished in ''Country Matters'' in 1996. | ||
''Walden West'', published in 1961, is considered by many Derleth's finest work. This prose meditation is built out of the same fundamental material as the series of Sac Prairie journals, but is organized around three themes: "the persistence of memory… the sounds and odors of the country… and Thoreau's observation that the 'mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.{{'"}} A blend of nature writing, philosophic musings, and careful observation of the people and place of "Sac Prairie". Of this work, George Vukelich, author of "North Country Notebook", writes: "Derleth's ''Walden West'' is… the equal of Sherwood Anderson's ''Winesburg,Ohio'', Thornton Wilder's ''Our Town'', and Edgar Lee Masters' ''Spoon River Anthology''." This was followed eight years later by ''Return to Walden West'', a work of similar quality, but with a more noticeable environmentalist edge to the writing, notes critic [[Norbert Blei]]. | ''Walden West'', published in 1961, is considered by many Derleth's finest work. This prose meditation is built out of the same fundamental material as the series of Sac Prairie journals, but is organized around three themes: "the persistence of memory… the sounds and odors of the country… and Thoreau's observation that the 'mass of men lead lives of quiet desperation.{{'"}} A blend of nature writing, philosophic musings, and careful observation of the people and place of "Sac Prairie". Of this work, George Vukelich, author of "North Country Notebook", writes: "Derleth's ''Walden West'' is… the equal of Sherwood Anderson's ''Winesburg, Ohio'', Thornton Wilder's ''Our Town'', and Edgar Lee Masters' ''Spoon River Anthology''." This was followed eight years later by ''Return to Walden West'', a work of similar quality, but with a more noticeable environmentalist edge to the writing, notes critic [[Norbert Blei]]. | ||
A close literary relative of the ''Sac Prairie Saga'' was Derleth's ''Wisconsin Saga'', which comprises several historical novels. | A close literary relative of the ''Sac Prairie Saga'' was Derleth's ''Wisconsin Saga'', which comprises several historical novels. | ||
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He also wrote introductions to several collections of classic early 20th century comics, such as ''[[Buster Brown]]'', ''[[Little Nemo in Slumberland]]'', and ''[[Katzenjammer Kids]]'', as well as a book of children's poetry entitled ''A Boy's Way'', and the foreword to ''Tales from an Indian Lodge'' by Phebe Jewell Nichols''.'' Derleth also wrote under the [[pen name]]s Stephen Grendon, Kenyon Holmes and Tally Mason. | He also wrote introductions to several collections of classic early 20th century comics, such as ''[[Buster Brown]]'', ''[[Little Nemo in Slumberland]]'', and ''[[Katzenjammer Kids]]'', as well as a book of children's poetry entitled ''A Boy's Way'', and the foreword to ''Tales from an Indian Lodge'' by Phebe Jewell Nichols''.'' Derleth also wrote under the [[pen name]]s Stephen Grendon, Kenyon Holmes and Tally Mason. | ||
Derleth's papers were donated to the [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] in Madison.<ref>{{cite web|url= | Derleth's papers were donated to the [[Wisconsin Historical Society]] in Madison.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;cc=wiarchives;view=text;rgn=main;didno=uw-whs-wis000wo|title=Derleth, August, 1909–1971|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20231015020702/https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;cc=wiarchives;view=text;rgn=main;didno=uw-whs-wis000wo|url-status=dead|archive-date=October 15, 2023|website=www.wisconsinhistory.org}} [https://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/cgi/f/findaid/findaid-idx?c=wiarchives;cc=wiarchives;view=text;rgn=main;didno=uw-whs-wis000wo Alt URL]</ref> | ||
==Bibliography== | ==Bibliography== | ||