Robert E. Howard

H.P. Lovecraft “For stark, living fear ... what other writer is even in the running with Robert E. Howard?”Robert Bloch “Howard’s archetypal characters, his emphasis on atavism and racial memories are closely allied to Jung’s theories of psychology, and he would observe them with understanding. ... [Behind Howard’s stories] lurks a dark poetry, and the timeless truth of dreams. That is why these tales have survived. They remain a fitting heritage of the poet and dreamer who was Robert E. Howard.”Fritz Leiber “The best pulp [fantasy] writer was Robert E. Howard ... . He painted in about the broadest strokes imaginable. A mass of glimmering black for the menace, an ice-blue cascade for the hero, between them a swath of crimson for battle, passion, blood – and that was the picture, or story, rather, except where a vivid detail might chance to spring to life, or a swift thought-arabesque be added.”Robert E. Howard (1906-1936) was an extraordinarily prolific and inventive writer of adventurous fiction and dramatic poetry during the 1920's and 30's.Although best known as the creator of the heroic fantasy character, Conan the Cimmerian, Howard wrote hundreds of poems and over three hundred works of fiction in a wide range of literary forms including historical and modern adventure, horror, fantasy, sports, confession, weird menace, western, semi-autobiographical fiction, and science fantasy fiction. Howard's unique synthesis of historical adventure, fantasy, and horror resulted in the creation of a new literary sub-genre now known as Sword and Sorcery.Howard's fiction is noted for its inimitable poetic and savage prose that engrosses and consumes the reader. His expression of timeless and universal themes in his fiction such as the pioneer spirit, the organic and cyclical nature of history, the savage violence that underlies and ever threatens the civilized veneer of humanity, and the conflict between the state, tradition and individual freedom, to name just a few, make his fiction as relevant now as it was during Howard's heyday in the 1930's.The enduring and universal appeal of Howard's fiction is evident from its continuing popularity over 60 years after his death. His work has been translated into many different languages, and adapted to film, television, comics, and other mediums. Howard's stories, poetry, and essays continue to be read and enjoyed around the world.