Feb. 24 is the birthday of August Derleth ’30. Born in 1909, Derleth rose to fame as an author of fixation (and often horror stories). Derleth was a friend of H.P. Lovecraft’s, and he founded the publishing firm Arkham House to reprint and popularize Lovecraft’s work. His book The Shield of the Valiant (which isn’t horror but rather is part of his more literary Sac Prairie Saga) is largely set on the UW’s campus.
Derleth’s name is so closely associated with fantasy, science fiction, and horror, that the British Fantasy Society’s prize for best novel of the year is the August Derleth Award. (Lauren Beukes won in 2014 for The Shining Girls.)
Learn more about Derleth from our Ask HQ column.
