Vardis Fisher

Joseph M. Flora (University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill)
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During the 1930s, Vardis Fisher experienced substantial national reputation, culminating in 1939, when he won the Harper Prize in Fiction for the historical novel

Children of God

, a recounting of the origins of the Mormon faith. The novel follows the careers of Joseph Smith and Brigham Young and the establishment of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints; it ends with the church's repudiation of polygamy. Although the novel was widely acclaimed for its objectivity, the Saints did not, by and large, share the enthusiasm.

Earlier in the decade, Fisher had made his first big mark on the national scene with a searing autobiographical tetralogy. In Tragic Life (1932) portrays the struggles and isolation of Vridar Hunter in a remote Idaho outpost near the Snake River. Passions Spin the

1970 words

Citation: Flora, Joseph M.. "Vardis Fisher". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 20 September 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/speople.php?rec=true&UID=1541, accessed 19 March 2024.]

1541 Vardis Fisher 1 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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