What can we say about Robert E Howard that hasn't be said before?
I will tell you something. I've never read anything from except one or another small story. But since I can't say I read fantasy if I didn't read the masters of fantasy. And one of the masters of fantasy is Robert E Howard. Well swords and sorcery fantasy anyway.
In the turn of the century there were two friends that change the horror/fantasy. One was of course HP Lovecraft and the toher Robert Howard. Many people know Lovecraft by name but no story in particular, in contrast Robert Howard people know Conan (due to the movies) but don't know his name. But they were two writers which I didn't read much and the year of 2007 is going to change that.
Did you know that Howard die at 1936? and Lovecraft die in the following year. Howard was 30 years old and Lovecraft had 47.
I must say that I will pronouce this with anger. I see writers who write 100 books and are worthless and give nothing to a genre and are know worldwide and you see this men that had only 15 years or so of writing before his life ended in tragedy. He killed himself.
I don't feel sorry for him to die. (It's a long story) But I feel sorry that he didn't left us with more stories from Connan or Kull or Solomon Kane or Bran Mak Morn. I've bought six books that were release from Del Rey containing much or all of the work from these characters. (I will search afterwards in the database if that is correct) I then will read and for what i've read I think he is great.
Well I won't read all in once because that would take part of the pleasure but inbetween I will read other books. I have too many books to read. I have a library with around 500 books unread (I think it's a bit more) and I've read probably 60/70 books.
I think I am an addict....
The ancient empires fall, the dark-skinned peoples fade and even the demons of antiquity gasp their last, but over all stands the Aryan barbarian, white-skinned, cold-eyed, dominant, the supreme fighting man of the earth.
Howard, Robert E. (1932). Wings in the Night. Weird Tales.
(Image by Gary Gianni - Bran Mak Morn - http://www.garygianni.com/)
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