Vardis Fisher
| Vardis Fisher | |
|---|---|
| Born |
March 31, 1895 Annis, Idaho, United States |
| Died | July 9, 1968 (aged 73) Hagerman, Idaho, United States |
| Occupation | Author, essayist |
| Nationality | American |
| Alma mater | University of Utah, University of Chicago |
| Genre | Historical novel, American Old West |
| Spouse | Leona McMurtrey Margaret Trusler Opal Laurel Holmes |
| Children | Grant Fisher T. Roberts Fisher |
Vardis Alvero Fisher (March 31, 1895 – July 9, 1968) was a writer best known for his popular historical novels of the Old West. He also wrote the monumental 12-volume Testament of Man (1943–1960) series of novels, depicting the history of humans from cave to civilization. It was considered controversial because of his portrayal of religion, especially the Judeo-Christian tradition, emphasis on sexuality, and conclusions about anthropology.
Vardis Fisher was born in Annis, Idaho, near present-day Rigby, of a Mormon family and descent. After graduating from the University of Utah in 1920, Fisher earned a Master of Arts degree (1922) and a Ph.D. (1925) at the University of Chicago.
Fisher was an assistant professor of English at the University of Utah (1925–1928) while there he was a teacher of the great American West historian Wallace Stegner and at New York University (1928–1931), where he became friends with Thomas Wolfe. Fisher also taught as a summer professor at Montana State University (1932–1933) in Bozeman. Academic jobs were sharply reduced during the Great Depression.
Between 1935 and 1939, he worked as the director of the Idaho Writer's Project of the Works Progress Administration (WPA) of the Franklin D. Roosevelt administration. He wrote several books about Idaho. He was also a newspaper columnist for the Idaho Statesman and Idaho Statewide (which later became the Intermountain Observer).
One of his hobbies was house construction, and he built his own home in the Thousand Springs area near Hagerman, Idaho. Fisher did the wiring, masonry, carpentry and plumbing himself.
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