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Robert E. Howard's first published story, "Spear and Fang", appeared in the July 1925 issue of WEIRD TALES. The tale tells of a Cro-Magnon man whose future mate is taken by a monstrous Neanderthal. When he catches up to them, the ensuing battle is a foreshadowing of the many exciting scenes that Howard was destined to write in his all too-short career.
NOTE: This issue also contains "The Werewolf of Ponkert", by H. Warner Munn, believed to be the first werewolf story told from the perspective of the monster. It was inspired by a letter written by H.P. Lovecraft that suggested it.
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REH was a comet of a talent. All that he created from this debut to his uncovered unpublished yarns were produced in a single decade. He blazed through his life and his career like a reader blazes through one of his muscular adventures, compulsively drawn from beginning to end. I'm enjoying his work right now all over again.
ReplyDeleteHoward stated that at one point, he was completely immersed in Conan and the stories poured out of him one after the other. As a writer, I can't imagine sustaining that level of inspiration. Like a musician playing as if possessed, this type of talent comes from another place besides the mundane world.
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