‘Little House’ prairie life in the raw
Print Edition
THE autobiography of “Little House on the Prairie” author Laura Ingalls Wilder has become a surprise publishing hit in America, with buyers rushing to snap up the candid account of pioneer life.
First published in November by the tiny South Dakota Historical Society Press, “Pioneer Girl” depicts an unglossed view of the 19th century Midwest, a marked departure from the bucolic imagery of the “Little House” series.
It “is Wilder’s first draft before it was edited and romanticized,” the press’s director Nancy Tystad Koupal said.
“We decided to keep this version, because it was as close to the original story of the 19th century pioneers.
“We wanted to show, in a sense, a behind the scenes of ‘The Little House.’”
Wilder first wrote the book in 1930 when she was 60, and it has been annotated by Pamela Hill Smith, who researched all the places and dates Wilder mentioned. In “Pioneer Life,” Wilder details 16 years of travels by her family through states like Kansas, Missouri, Wisconsin, Minnesota and Iowa.
Wilder’s recollections formed the basis of the “Little House” books that were published between 1932 and 1943.
While the series of 11 volumes paints a fairly innocent picture of pioneer times, Wilder’s autobiography bears witness to a less glossy reality.
“Life was hard. Violence was typical. It was part of the pioneers’ life,” Koupal said.
Koupal said the Wilders family was in poor financial shape. “They had to flee in the middle of the night to avoid paying rent,” Koupal said.
Many elements in “Pioneer Girl” were edited out of adaptations because they were considered too violent.
In real life, Wilder took care of a sick woman whose drunk husband tried to rape her. The author only escaped by fighting back.
Wilder’s books were adapted for television in 1974 by Michael Landon — who also starred on the show. It ran for nine seasons, comprising more than 200 episodes, which goes some way to explaining the enormous demand for the new book. “For a lot of people, Laura Ingalls was a really big part of their childhood,” Koupal said.
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