Imagine you own an apartment building in 1970s Chicago, and one of your occupants is moving out after 43 years. He worked as a custodian, had no family, and hoarded trash he picked up off the street in his tiny one-room apartment. When he finally moves out, it’s to a home for the elderly where he soon dies. You go to clean out his apartment and discover…. this
… along with fourteen other volumes of one of the largest works of fiction ever written: a 15,145 page fantasy manuscript with hundreds of watercolor illustrations, some up to 30 feet wide
Nobody even knew he was writing/illustrating anything.
Henry Darger’s manuscript was titled, The Story of the Vivian Girls, in What Is Known as the Realms of the Unreal, of the Glandeco-Angelinian War Storm, Caused by the Child Slave Rebellion, which turns to extreme violence at times, and fantastic triumph at others. The narrative text explains that girls are the main characters of the story because “girls are braver than men.”(video)
He was inspired by Shirley Temple, 5 year old murder victim Elsie Paroubek, and forced labor in his own childhood. He and his close friend of several decades (and possible romantic partner) William Schloeder were passionate about the rights and protection of children.
In addition, he had written Crazy House: Further Adventures in Chicago, a 10,000 page story including the same characters, and an autobiography which, according to Wikipedia: "only spends 206 pages detailing Darger’s early life before veering off into 4,672 pages of fiction about a huge twister called ‘Sweetie Pie’, probably based on memories of a tornado he had witnessed in 1908.”
So. There’s something I need to read. Just thought you all should know.
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