Wolfshead and Other Stories - E-book - ePub

Born Robert Ervin Howard, in the United States, on January 22, 1906, and died in June 11, 1936. The only child of a traveling physician, Dr. Isaac Mordecai Howard, and Mrs. Hester Jane Ervin Howard, was a prolific American writer who worked primarily as a short story writer and poet. In his professional life, Howard flirted with several genres, mainly those linked to fantasy and fiction. A constant contributor to pulp fiction magazines, very popular in the United States during the Great Depression of the 1930s, the writer is currently best known for his authorship of the character Conan the Barbarian, as well as for being historically considered the "father" of the sword and sorcery subgenre.
He wrote stories in many styles but his most famous creations are in the sword and sorcery genre - a fantasy genre characterized by its emphasis on violent combat and supernatural interventions (gods, monsters, wizards, etc.). Howard created one of the most popular fantasy characters of all time; Conan, who made his debut in the short story The Phoenix on the Sword in December 1932. To host his creation Howard invented the Hyborian Age, which is about Earth itself but in a pre-cataclysmic past from which current history holds no memories.
Other famous characters include King Kull, the Puritan adventurer Solomon Kane, and Pictish king Bran Mak Morn. He also created the female warriors Dark Agnes de la Fere and Red Sonya de Rogatino, the latter served as the basis for Roy Thomas to create the character Red Sonja for the Conan comics at Marvel Comics. With Conan and his other heroes, Howard created the genre that would come to be known as "Sword and Sorcery" between the 1920s and 1930s.
His work spawned several imitators, making Howard one of the great influencers in the fantasy genre, only rivaling J. R. R. Tolkien. Another field in which Howard was successful was supernatural horror, in which he borrowed many ideas from his correspondent and friend H. P. Lovecraft, and always added his trademark of fast-paced action and flashy characters.