Robert E. Howard

Robert E. Howard – Life, Career, and Enduring Legacy

Robert E. Howard (1906–1936), American pulp writer and creator of Conan the Barbarian, is a foundational figure in fantasy literature. Explore his biography, literary contributions, philosophy, famous lines, and legacy.

Introduction

Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer of pulp fiction and poetry, widely regarded as one of the originators of the sword and sorcery subgenre.

His stories spanned many genres—fantasy, horror, westerns, boxing tales, historical adventure, supernatural fiction—and his most enduring creation is Conan the Cimmerian (often called “Conan the Barbarian”).

Though his life and writing career were tragically short, Howard’s influence has continued to shape fantasy, comics, film, and genre fiction broadly.

Early Life and Family

Howard was born in Peaster, Texas (Parker County), as the only child of Dr. Isaac Mordecai Howard and Hester Jane (Ervin) Howard. There is some ambiguity in official records whether his birth date was January 22 or January 24, but he consistently celebrated and identified January 22 as his birthday.

In his early years, the Howard family moved frequently within Texas (and briefly in 1919 to New Orleans) due to his father’s medical practice and other pressures. From 1919 onward, Howard and his mother settled in Cross Plains, Texas, which became his long-term home base.

His mother, Hester Howard, played a crucial role in shaping his literary sensibilities: she recited poetry, nurtured his reading habits, and maintained a close, sometimes overprotective, bond with him.

Youth, Education & Early Writing

Howard displayed an intense affinity for reading and storytelling from a young age. By age nine or ten, he was writing historical adventure tales set in varied times and locales—Vikings, Arabs, battles, etc.

He found formal schooling constraining and sometimes chafed under authority.

In his teenage years, writing was largely a self-driven endeavor. He corresponded with like-minded youth authors (notably Tevis Clyde Smith and Truett Vinson) and contributed to local student papers.

After high school (circa 1923), Howard briefly attended Howard Payne College (in Brownwood, Texas) in 1924 for a stenography course, but he soon left and devoted more time to writing and odd jobs.

His first paid fiction sale came in late 1924: a short “caveman” story titled “Spear and Fang”, published in Weird Tales (July 1925 issue). From that point on, Howard increasingly committed to writing—eventually leaving full-time non-literary employment.

Career & Major Works

Pulp Magazines & Genre Versatility

Howard published prolifically in the pulp magazine market—a milieu that allowed rapid, genre-fluid storytelling.

He wrote in many genres:

• Sword and Sorcery / Fantasy (his primary lasting legacy)

• Weird fiction / horror

• Western stories

• Boxing / sports tales

• Historical adventure

• Humor / tall tales

Some of his notable series and characters besides Conan include Kull, Solomon Kane, Bran Mak Morn, El Borak, King Kull, Steve Costigan, and Breckenridge Elkins.

Creation of Conan & the Hyborian Age

Howard’s conception of Conan evolved over time. The first Conan story, “The Phoenix on the Sword”, was adapted from an earlier Kull tale. He developed a fictional “Hyborian Age” setting—a mythic, prehistoric time between Atlantis and recorded history—as the backdrop for Conan’s adventures.

In “Beyond the Black River,” Howard famously declared:

“Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance.”

His Conan tales often explore the tension between civilized order and untamed wildness, corruption within society, and the idea of heroic individualism.

Connections with the Lovecraft Circle

In 1930 Howard wrote a fan letter to Weird Tales praising H. P. Lovecraft, which led to a rich, long correspondence between them.

Howard became part of the “Lovecraft Circle”—a network of writers who shared ideas, mythos elements, and encouragement. He contributed several stories tied to the Cthulhu Mythos, such as “The Black Stone”, “The Cairn on the Headland”, and “The Fire of Asshurbanipal.”

Late Career & Declining Years

By the early 1930s, Howard was well established in the pulp market and trying to expand into more lucrative and stable markets. He experimented with different outlets and genres, but many of the pulp houses were financially unstable, and payments were often delayed.

Howard’s mother was chronically ill (with tuberculosis), requiring regular care and attention, which increasingly burdened him emotionally and financially. As the financial and emotional pressures increased, Howard’s writing output remained high but also became more fraught.

Death & Aftermath

In early 1936, Howard’s mother entered a coma from which she was not expected to recover. On June 11, 1936, Howard walked to his car, took a pistol from the glove compartment, and shot himself in the head. He died approximately eight hours later. His mother died the following day.

Howard’s death is often viewed as an act of despair tied to his grief over his mother’s illness, isolation, financial strain, and emotional fatigue.

After his death, a double funeral was held on June 14, 1936, at Cross Plains with both Howard and his mother interred in Greenleaf Cemetery in Brownwood, Texas.

Writing Style, Themes & Philosophy

Howard’s prose is often direct, muscular, and economical. He painted vivid scenes and strong atmosphere while combining violence, heroism, brooding tension, and sometimes a lyrical sense of myth.

Key thematic contrasts in his work include:

• Civilization vs. Barbarism: Howard frequently depicted civilisation as corrupt, fragile, or regressive; barbarism (strength, raw will) as elemental and honest.

• Heroic Individualism: Many protagonists are lone figures who stand against oppression, corruption, or overwhelming odds.

• Fate, mortality, and decay: His works often recognize that even the great may fall; the transient nature of power and life is a recurring undercurrent.

• Masculinity and strength: Physical might, courage, and resilience are frequently valorized (under the pulp idiom).

• Overlap with supernatural / cosmic horror: In his weird and horror stories, he engaged with uncanny, cosmic, or supernatural forces beyond human understanding (enhanced through his Lovecraft correspondence).

Although some critics have examined problematic aspects (e.g. racial stereotyping, colonial overtones) in certain stories, others note that Howard’s later work showed a maturing awareness and occasional sensitivity.

Famous Quotes & Excerpts

Here are a few notable lines attributed to Howard or from his works, reflecting his worldview:

• From “Beyond the Black River” (on barbarism & civilization):

  “Barbarism is the natural state of mankind. Civilization is unnatural. It is a whim of circumstance.”

• From Howard’s letters and essays discussing writing:

  “When the wrath of Conan falls, it is pitiless.” (illusion to his style of storytelling)
  (This is representative; many quotes of his exist within letters or story passages.)

• In personal correspondence, Howard often expressed the weight of caring for his mother and existential gloom; many of those haunting expressions survive in his letters collections.

Because many of Howard’s poignant lines are enmeshed within stories or letters, they often reflect larger narrative voices rather than standalone aphorisms.

Legacy & Influence

Robert E. Howard’s impact on literature and popular culture is vast:

1. Pioneer of Sword & Sorcery
   Howard is widely considered one of the founding figures of the sword and sorcery subgenre. The idea of a tough, wandering barbarian hero in a world of magic and beasts has reverberated through fantasy ever since.

2. Pop culture expansions
   Conan’s stories have been adapted in comics, films, television, games, and more. Howard’s influence touches many fantasy franchises and creators.

3. Posthumous revival
   After a period of relative neglect, Howard’s reputation was revived in the 1970s via anthologies, scholarly studies (e.g. Dark Valley Destiny) and the “Howard Boom.” The Robert E. Howard Foundation now preserves and promotes his work.

4. Literary scholarship & textual restoration
   Many efforts have been made to publish chronologically restored, unedited versions of Howard’s stories (rather than heavily revised ones).

5. Inspirational model for genre writers
   Howard’s example—writing intensely, carving a personal mythos, fusing action with imagination—serves as touchstone for fantasy, horror, and speculative fiction authors.

Lessons from Robert E. Howard

• Creativity under constraints: Howard wrote prolifically under financial, personal, and editorial pressures, showing how imagination can thrive even in adversity.

• Blending myth and grit: His ability to merge mythic scope with visceral realism teaches genre writers how to balance beauty and brutality.

• Personal voice matters: His writing reflects his life, environment (Texas, frontier, boom towns) and emotional realities—authenticity resonates.

• Enduring ideas: Though characters or plots may date, themes of power, mortality, civilization, and heroism remain universally appealing.

Conclusion

Robert E. Howard’s life was brief but blazing. In just three decades, he authored a body of work that reshaped fantasy literature, gave birth to one of the genre’s most enduring heroes (Conan), and inspired generations of writers and creators.

His trajectory—from a solitary Texan writer to a mythic figure of the fantastic—underscores both creative ambition and tragic fragility. Though Howard departed early, his legacy endures in every sword-swinging hero, every dark fantasy epic, and every reader enthralled by worlds of magic, danger, and possibility.

Citation: This article draws on multiple sources, including Howard’s Wikipedia entry, the Robert E. Howard Foundation, scholarly biography overviews, and pulp-literature reference materials.