Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936, in Cross Plains, Texas) was an American writer who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre, leaving behind a rich legacy of stories in the magazine Weird Tales. His contemporary H.P. Lovecraft, on the other hand, believed that humanity has no value in a universe ruled by cosmic horror—an idea that completely contrasts with Howard’s earthly, triumphant heroism. Thus, the two writers met in the same magazine but parted ways in vision.
by ismaeil-de-paynes
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I’m Egyptian and had the great honour in 2023 to make a manual Arabic translation of two of his stories, “The fearsome touch of death” and “In the Forest of Villefére”. And thousands around the Arab World had read it and knew about this great man.
In a way, this guy was the predecessor of Tolkien in inventing what is a modern definition of a “secondary world” or a “fantasy world” but with adult themes thrown in it. and yes – I know that both Howard and Tolkien meant their worlds to represent our Earth in some distant, imaginary past, but this is the DNA of what eventually evolved to everything from D&D, to Warcraft and the Song of Ice and Fire
This guy invented a whole genre of literature. His mom was on her death bed and was going to die so he went outside and shot himself in the head and he thought his dad was going to do the same thing but he didn’t. Crazy end for an incredible writer.
I’ve never read Conan but I’ve heard it is still a fantastic read and not outdated. Been meaning to for the past couple years.