Vardis Alvero Fisher (1895–1968) was an American novelist and academic from Idaho, best known for his historical fiction depicting the American West and human development. After earning degrees from the University of Utah and the University of Chicago, Fisher taught English at his alma mater in Utah and later at New York University. He transitioned to full-time writing in 1931, eventually working with the Federal Writers' Project to author The Idaho Guide (1937), a landmark publication for the Works Progress Administration.
Fisher achieved significant literary recognition with his 1939 novel Children of God, a historical epic about the early history of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, which won the prestigious Harper Prize. Following this success, he relocated to Hagerman, Idaho, where he dedicated two decades to writing the Testament of Man (1943–1960), an ambitious twelve-volume novel series tracing the evolutionary and cultural history of humanity from prehistoric times to modern civilization. His 1965 novel Mountain Man later served as the basis for the 1972 film Jeremiah Johnson.
Throughout his career, Fisher's relationship with his Mormon upbringing remained a subject of discussion among critics and scholars. While some commentators viewed him as sympathetic to Mormonism, others, including his widow Opal Laurel Holmes, strongly rejected this characterization. Modern literary analysis often highlights how his family heritage and early religious environment influenced his recurring thematic focus on secular individuals attempting to navigate and coexist within deeply religious communities.
