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'Realms of the Unreal': Henry Darger's Secret Life

For much of his life, Henry Darger was almost invisible. He was an odd man -- a reclusive janitor whose outside life revolved around going to church and monitoring the weather. But in death, Darger has become well known and honored, inspiring books, a musical and now, a documentary.

A talented and troubled artist, Darger used large paintings and a 15,000 page epic novel titled The Realms of the Unreal to create a secret mystical world of heroic little girls fighting evil. Filmmaker Jessica Yu's new film about Darger has the same name. She talks with NPR's Jennifer Ludden about the documentary.

Copyright 2022 NPR. To see more, visit https://www.npr.org.

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Federal funding is gone.

Congress has eliminated all funding for public media.

That means $2.1 million per year that Connecticut Public relied on to deliver you news, information, and entertainment programs you enjoyed is gone.

The future of public media is in your hands.

All donations are appreciated, but we ask in this moment you consider starting a monthly gift as a Sustainer to help replace what’s been lost.