 |
Henry DargerAmerican writer and illustrator
Date of Birth: 12.04.1892
Country:  USA |
Content:
- Biography of Henry Darger
- Difficult Childhood
- A Life of Solitude
- A Unique Friendship
- The 'Magnus Opus'
- Legacy and Death
Biography of Henry Darger
American writer and illustratorHenry Darger was an American writer and illustrator, best known for his posthumously discovered 15,145-page work 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'. Darger was born in Chicago, Illinois to Rosa Fullman and Henry Joseph Darger, Sr. Although the exact date of his birth is unknown, it is commonly believed to be April 12, 1892. At the age of four, Darger lost his mother during childbirth, and the baby girl born was put up for adoption, preventing Darger from ever meeting her in the future.
Difficult Childhood
Darger's biographer, art historian and psychologist John M. MacGregor, claims that Rosa Fullman had two other children before Henry, but no further details are provided about these siblings. After his mother's death, Darger's father took on the responsibility of raising him and did a relatively decent job. Unfortunately, in 1900, Henry Darger Sr., poor and disabled, had to send his son to a special orphanage at a Catholic mission. In the same year, Darger Jr. was transferred to a special institution for mentally challenged children in Lincoln, Illinois. According to his biographer, Darger was sent to the asylum as a "self-abuser," a term often used at the time to refer to masturbation. Darger struggled to fit into regular society, primarily due to his unique ability to see through people. He was disliked equally by his peers and teachers due to his high intelligence and perceptiveness. His time at the psychiatric institution was also challenging, and some of the experiences there later manifested in his book. It was during his time at the institution that Darger learned about his father's death.
A Life of Solitude
Darger made several attempts to escape from the institution and eventually succeeded in 1908. He claimed to have witnessed a terrifying tornado shortly after his escape, which ravaged central Illinois. Returning to Chicago, 16-year-old Henry managed to find work at a local hospital with the help of his godmother. He continued to work there until his retirement in 1963. Darger led a peculiar but stable life, combining his habit of collecting trash from the streets with attending daily Mass meticulously. His clothes were old and worn, but Henry took great care in cleaning and repairing them whenever possible. Darger's life was touched by a brief service in the army during World War I, but ultimately, he returned to his routine.
A Unique Friendship
Darger was a loner in life, and his only companion, William Shloder, was equally introverted and eccentric. Shloder and Darger shared a difficult childhood, and together they even contemplated founding a society to find loving families for orphaned children. In the mid-1930s, Shloder left Chicago, but Darger maintained communication with him through letters until Shloder's death in 1959. In 1930, Darger settled in a room on the second floor of a house at 851 W. Webster Avenue. It was in this room that he created the majority of his magnum opus, 'The Story of the Vivian Girls.' Alongside working on this project, Darger also kept personal and weather diaries.
The 'Magnus Opus'
The book comprised 15,145 pages, spanning 15 thick volumes, and Darger wrote incredibly compactly. He dedicated three volumes solely to illustrations for his masterpiece, creating hundreds of drawings using pencils, watercolors, and newspaper clippings. The story depicted the adventures of seven young princesses courageously battling evil slave traders on another planet, where Earth was merely a satellite. The book is believed to have been started by Darger shortly after someone stole a newspaper clipping from his locker, which reported the mysterious disappearance and murder of 5-year-old Elsie Paroubek. Darger had made some preliminary sketches before, but after the theft, the novel consumed him. The book vividly described the cruel torture of children, often depicting the heroines naked, sometimes with male genitalia, although there was no explicit sexual content. Some psychologists speculate that under different circumstances, Henry Darger could have become a dangerous pedophilic maniac, but fortunately, his internal desires transformed into creative expression. However, these theories remain unproven.
Legacy and Death
Henry Darger passed away on April 13, 1973, at the age of 81. He was buried in Des Plaines, Illinois. Despite his eccentricities, he generally behaved reasonably and predictably, making it difficult to determine whether he had any mental health issues. It is possible that Darger suffered from a form of autism or Asperger's syndrome, although this remains a theory without supporting evidence.
