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Robert E. Howard
1906 – 1936
American
1 bookBiography
Robert Ervin Howard (1906–1936) was an American author and poet widely regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre. He is best known for creating the iconic character Conan the Barbarian and for his prolific contributions to the pulp magazines of the early twentieth century. His work fundamentally shaped modern fantasy literature by introducing gritty, action-oriented narratives centered on primal heroes.
Born in Peaster, Texas, Howard spent most of his life in the small town of Cross Plains, where the rugged landscape and local history deeply influenced his storytelling. He began writing professionally at the age of eighteen, selling his first story to the legendary magazine Weird Tales in 1924. Throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s, he developed a diverse array of characters, including the Puritan adventurer Solomon Kane and the Pictish king Bran Mak Morn. During this time, he maintained a prolific correspondence with other notable writers of the era, such as H.P. Lovecraft, which helped refine his philosophical views on civilization and barbarism.
In 1932, Howard introduced Conan the Cimmerian, a character who would become a cultural phenomenon and define the archetype of the fantasy warrior. Despite his professional success during the Great Depression, Howard struggled with personal isolation and his mother's declining health. His literary career was tragically cut short when he took his own life in June 1936, yet his legacy endured through the posthumous publication and adaptation of his vast body of work.
Essential Reading:
- A Witch Shall Be Born (1934): This classic Conan tale features one of the most iconic scenes in fantasy literature, where the Cimmerian hero survives a brutal crucifixion to reclaim his vengeance.
- The Tower of the Elephant (1933): Widely considered one of the finest sword and sorcery stories ever written, it follows a young Conan as he attempts to rob a mysterious, sorcerous tower.
- Red Nails (1936): The final Conan story published during Howard's lifetime, this novella explores a lost city consumed by a bloody, generational feud.
- The Hour of the Dragon (1935): Howard's only full-length novel featuring Conan finds the king of Aquilonia fighting to reclaim his throne from an ancient necromancer.
Born in Peaster, Texas, Howard spent most of his life in the small town of Cross Plains, where the rugged landscape and local history deeply influenced his storytelling. He began writing professionally at the age of eighteen, selling his first story to the legendary magazine Weird Tales in 1924. Throughout the late 1920s and early 1930s, he developed a diverse array of characters, including the Puritan adventurer Solomon Kane and the Pictish king Bran Mak Morn. During this time, he maintained a prolific correspondence with other notable writers of the era, such as H.P. Lovecraft, which helped refine his philosophical views on civilization and barbarism.
In 1932, Howard introduced Conan the Cimmerian, a character who would become a cultural phenomenon and define the archetype of the fantasy warrior. Despite his professional success during the Great Depression, Howard struggled with personal isolation and his mother's declining health. His literary career was tragically cut short when he took his own life in June 1936, yet his legacy endured through the posthumous publication and adaptation of his vast body of work.
Essential Reading:
- A Witch Shall Be Born (1934): This classic Conan tale features one of the most iconic scenes in fantasy literature, where the Cimmerian hero survives a brutal crucifixion to reclaim his vengeance.
- The Tower of the Elephant (1933): Widely considered one of the finest sword and sorcery stories ever written, it follows a young Conan as he attempts to rob a mysterious, sorcerous tower.
- Red Nails (1936): The final Conan story published during Howard's lifetime, this novella explores a lost city consumed by a bloody, generational feud.
- The Hour of the Dragon (1935): Howard's only full-length novel featuring Conan finds the king of Aquilonia fighting to reclaim his throne from an ancient necromancer.
