– which ▁would ▁about ▁rank ▁him ▁with ▁H omer ." ▁Der le th ▁good - hum ored ly ▁repr int ed ▁the ▁criticism ▁along ▁with ▁a ▁photograph ▁of ▁himself ▁sans ▁swe ater , ▁on ▁the ▁back ▁cover ▁of ▁his ▁ 1 9 4 8 ▁country ▁journal : ▁Village ▁Day book . ▁ ▁A ▁l ighter ▁side ▁to ▁the ▁Sac ▁Pra irie ▁S aga ▁is ▁a ▁series ▁of ▁quasi - aut obi ographical ▁short ▁stories ▁known ▁as ▁the ▁" G us ▁El ker ▁St ories ", ▁am using ▁tales ▁of ▁country ▁life ▁that ▁Peter ▁R uber , ▁Der le th ' s ▁last ▁editor , ▁said ▁were ▁"... models ▁of ▁construction ▁and ... f used ▁with ▁some ▁of ▁the ▁most ▁memor able ▁characters ▁in ▁American ▁literature ." ▁Most ▁were ▁written ▁between ▁ 1 9 3 4 ▁and ▁the ▁late ▁ 1 9 4 0 s , ▁though ▁the ▁last , ▁" T ail ▁of ▁the ▁Dog ", ▁was ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 5 9 ▁and ▁won ▁the ▁Sch ol astic ▁Magazine ▁short ▁story ▁award ▁for ▁the ▁year . ▁The ▁series ▁was ▁collected ▁and ▁repub lished ▁in ▁Country ▁Mat ters ▁in ▁ 1 9 9 6 . ▁ ▁Wal den ▁West , ▁published ▁in ▁ 1 9 6 1 , ▁is ▁considered ▁by ▁many ▁Der le th ' s ▁fin est ▁work . ▁This ▁pro se ▁med itation ▁is ▁built ▁out ▁of ▁the ▁same ▁fundamental ▁material ▁as ▁the ▁series ▁of ▁Sac ▁Pra irie ▁journ als , ▁but ▁is ▁organized ▁around ▁three ▁them es :