August Derleth's greatest literary accomplishment was the creation of an entire community, Sac Prairie, in the heart of his native state of Wisconsin. In tales and novels alike, Derleth continually etched the diverse lives and personalities of the people of Sac Prairie, beginning as early as the 1930s. Although he gathered many of his Sac Prairie stories in several collections, a good many tales remain uncollected. Among them are two lengthy novellas set in the neighboring town of Badger Prairie; one of these, the short ...
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August Derleth's greatest literary accomplishment was the creation of an entire community, Sac Prairie, in the heart of his native state of Wisconsin. In tales and novels alike, Derleth continually etched the diverse lives and personalities of the people of Sac Prairie, beginning as early as the 1930s. Although he gathered many of his Sac Prairie stories in several collections, a good many tales remain uncollected. Among them are two lengthy novellas set in the neighboring town of Badger Prairie; one of these, the short novel The Wife with the Mona Lisa Smile, is a complex narrative of love and betrayal that has never been reprinted until now. In numerous other tales Derleth addresses religious, domestic, and other conflicts among the denizens of Sac Prairie, focusing on the intricacies of daily life in a way that remains perennially relevant
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