obert E. Howard is the grandfather of sword & sorcery fiction. During the 1930's, Howard almost single-handedly redefined the genre. His characters--Conan, Solomon Kane, King Kull, Black Turlogh and others--lived and fought in colorful worlds where all men were mighty, all women beautiful, and all problems simple. Yet these characters had a realism to their motivations. Howard's writing style had about it a relentless grimness. It set sword & sorcery on a path away from the happily-ever-after, and toward the more dramatic, emotionally charged stories that are written even to this day. Lovers of fantasy have much to owe Robert E. Howard.

oward was born in Peaster, Texas in 1906. He lived and worked in Cross Plains, Texas and attended Howard Payne College. He committed suicide in 1936.

Excerpts

Conan, King Kull, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, ...

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Thoughts

• The Beast from the Abyss

  REH offers his observations, light and dark (mostly dark...), on cats.

• Midnight

  Late night inspiration, over cards and whiskey.

• With a Set of Rattlesnake Rattles

  Essay about Howard's phobia--snakes.

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"The Whole Wide World"

The biographical Robert E. Howard film

• ..as reviewed by Mark R. Leeper
• ..Sony Pictures Classic website
• ..entry in the Internet Movie Database

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Letters

Howard's correspondence with H. P. Lovecraft, August Derleth, Clark Ashton Smith, and others.

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Lists

• Conan Saga Story Chronology
• Francis Xavier Gordon ("El Borak") Adventures
• Solomon Kane Saga Story Chronology
• King Kull Story Chronology

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Organizations

• Cross Plains Barbarian Festival A Howard festival, held every September in Cross Plains, Texas, Howard's home town.
• Project Pride A Robert E. Howard fan gathering held every year at the Howard's old home, now a museum.
• Robert E. Howard United Press Association A Howard newsletter written by subscribers.

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Robert E. Howard Links

alt.fantasy.conan, Mark Butler's Conan The Barbarian Page, Grant Books' Robert E. Howard Page, Cross Plains, Texas web site, The Barbarian Keep...

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My thanks to Ed Waterman (eaw@net999.com), Gene Bilney (gb0001@unt.edu), "Buffalo" Bill Brandt (wbrandt@cms.cc.wayne.edu), and especially Ken Hechtman for their terrific contributions.