Friday, November 24, 2023

ROBERT E. HOWARD'S FIRST STORY


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.





2 comments:

  1. 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 All that he created from this debut to his uncovered unpublished yarns were produced in a single decade.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.

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  2. Howard 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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