Henry Olerich
Encyclopedia
Henry Olerich was a utopian author from Nebraska
. In his best known novel, A Cityless and Countryless World (1893), a Martian
lands on earth
to teach humans how to create paradise
. The method was to build houses that could hold 1,000 people, who would collectively farm and work.
Olerich continued his utopian projections in two subsequent books, Modern Paradise (1915) and The Story of the World a Thousand Years Hence (1923).
Olerich was also a lawyer, farmer, teacher, and machinist; he once earned a patent for an improved tractor. He wrote a range of other works as well, including one titled "Viola Olerich, the Famous Baby Scholar: An Experiment in Education," about his adopted daughter who was for a short time a celebrated child prodigy.
Olerich died by suicide
, prompted in part by declining health. Yet he left an abundant supply of autobiographical writings that "reveal a persistent desire for the public recognition that always eluded him....The overall impression...is one of desperation on Olerich's part."
The full text of the book A Cityless and Countryless World has been scanned and can be found online here.
Nebraska
Nebraska is a state on the Great Plains of the Midwestern United States. The state's capital is Lincoln and its largest city is Omaha, on the Missouri River....
. In his best known novel, A Cityless and Countryless World (1893), a Martian
Martian
As an adjective, the term martian is used to describe anything pertaining to the planet Mars.However, a Martian is more usually a hypothetical or fictional native inhabitant of the planet Mars. Historically, life on Mars has often been hypothesized, although there is currently no solid evidence of...
lands on earth
Earth
Earth is the third planet from the Sun, and the densest and fifth-largest of the eight planets in the Solar System. It is also the largest of the Solar System's four terrestrial planets...
to teach humans how to create paradise
Paradise
Paradise is a place in which existence is positive, harmonious and timeless. It is conceptually a counter-image of the miseries of human civilization, and in paradise there is only peace, prosperity, and happiness. Paradise is a place of contentment, but it is not necessarily a land of luxury and...
. The method was to build houses that could hold 1,000 people, who would collectively farm and work.
Olerich continued his utopian projections in two subsequent books, Modern Paradise (1915) and The Story of the World a Thousand Years Hence (1923).
Olerich was also a lawyer, farmer, teacher, and machinist; he once earned a patent for an improved tractor. He wrote a range of other works as well, including one titled "Viola Olerich, the Famous Baby Scholar: An Experiment in Education," about his adopted daughter who was for a short time a celebrated child prodigy.
Olerich died by suicide
Suicide
Suicide is the act of intentionally causing one's own death. Suicide is often committed out of despair or attributed to some underlying mental disorder, such as depression, bipolar disorder, schizophrenia, alcoholism, or drug abuse...
, prompted in part by declining health. Yet he left an abundant supply of autobiographical writings that "reveal a persistent desire for the public recognition that always eluded him....The overall impression...is one of desperation on Olerich's part."
The full text of the book A Cityless and Countryless World has been scanned and can be found online here.