20 replies to this topic

[Rockamobile]

The title appears to have gotten cut off a little . It was the writers after his time . Who do you think he would have liked and Why What would he make the current state of the genre with its sprawling epic series . And what would he thought about his own impact on the evolution of the genre?

And could he have been successful in this era?

Edited by Rockamobile, 18 January 2012 - 04:05 AM.

[Rockamobile]

I definitely think he would have been successful...Actually, he is successful now...they are making movies about his creations.
I think eventually he might have started reading more brain food type fiction...I dunno why I think this but who knows?

I suspect he be in awe of how far the genre has come. It's gone from fringe to mainstream literature.

[muskrat]

Of Tolkien, I think Howard would have thought, "Cripes, get to the point already! It takes you four damn books to get that ring in the volcano? Conan woulda done it in thirty pages." Heh.

I think Howard would have left the S&S genre far behind, and become a well-known western writer. He was moving in that direction anyway. All these hobbits and elves and trolls, he'd have laughed at all that junk.

[Libaax]

Of Tolkien, I think Howard would have thought, "Cripes, get to the point already! It takes you four damn books to get that ring in the volcano? Conan woulda done it in thirty pages." Heh.

I think Howard would have left the S&S genre far behind, and become a well-known western writer. He was moving in that direction anyway. All these hobbits and elves and trolls, he'd have laughed at all that junk.

We have seen Conan stories that REH wrote to sell, get easy money when he was in need of money.

Who knows how he would react if Conan became bestseller in book market if Howard had lived past 1936. Many authors have been forced to write their popular characters for years. Fans,publisher pressure. Western,historical fiction he talked highly of late in his career.

His vivid storytelling would have sold in most genres. Western books were huge in in 50s,60s.

Edited by Libaax, 22 January 2012 - 05:05 PM.

[amster]

Of Tolkien, I think Howard would have thought, "Cripes, get to the point already! It takes you four damn books to get that ring in the volcano? Conan woulda done it in thirty pages." Heh.

I think Howard would have left the S&S genre far behind, and become a well-known western writer. He was moving in that direction anyway. All these hobbits and elves and trolls, he'd have laughed at all that junk.

I don't know why some Howard fans feel they have to denigrate Tolkien in order to build him up. I happen to like all of that "junk". It doesn't make me like REH any less. I've read 100s of pages of letters from Howard, and I honestly don't know what he would have thought of Tolkien.

As for REH leaving the S&S genre behind, it was more out of economic necessity than personal preference. Weird Tales was by and large his only market for such fiction, and they were notoriously slow on their payments to him, owing him literally thousands for material already published. It's no wonder that he stopped submitting stories to them in favor of more reliable markets.

And could he have been successful in this era?

Damn right. One thing Howard was good at was adapting to the demands of the market, which is why he met with such success across multiple genres. If being a successful writer meant writing sprawling multi-volume epics, then Howard would have became adept at writing sprawling mult-volume epics.

[muskrat]

Aw, I was just funnin'. I think Tolkien is just fine. It's just that Tolkien and Howard are so different in style and content that comparing the two really isn't possible. Not fer me, anyhoo.

[Rockamobile]

Of Tolkien, I think Howard would have thought, "Cripes, get to the point already! It takes you four damn books to get that ring in the volcano? Conan woulda done it in thirty pages." Heh.

I think Howard would have left the S&S genre far behind, and become a well-known western writer. He was moving in that direction anyway. All these hobbits and elves and trolls, he'd have laughed at all that junk.

It's very possible he might have liked Tolkien . But there is no way of knowing

Hm, I wonder what he would have thought of Terry Pratchett's Disc World saga. Would he have gotten the humor?

Had he lived, he might well have left the fantasy genre behind , but with fantasy becoming popular in the 50's and 60's he probably would have come back to it again.

Edited by Rockamobile, 24 January 2012 - 02:34 AM.

[Taranaich]

At the risk of my own personal preferences affecting my opinions, I think he would've enjoyed Tolkien - or, at least, enjoyed parts of Tolkien. The prose would've been nothing to him - after all, he enjoyed far more esoteric and difficult text than The Lord of the Rings - and I think there are many elements in Middle-earth he would've enjoyed. In addition to obvious things like the Rohirrim, Dunlendings, Druedain and whatnot, I think he would've particularly liked Aragorn and Gandalf for their echos of Arthur and Odin, and the Hobbits(!), especially the Scouring.

[Libaax]

At the risk of my own personal preferences affecting my opinions, I think he would've enjoyed Tolkien - or, at least, enjoyed parts of Tolkien. The prose would've been nothing to him - after all, he enjoyed far more esoteric and difficult text than The Lord of the Rings - and I think there are many elements in Middle-earth he would've enjoyed. In addition to obvious things like the Rohirrim, Dunlendings, Druedain and whatnot, I think he would've particularly liked Aragorn and Gandalf for their echos of Arthur and Odin, and the Hobbits(!), especially the Scouring.

I have been thinking the same that REH would respect the world building, the use of mythology. Im no Tolkein fan but i find the world,history he build up to be interesting. Makes me think of how REH used The Hyborigan Age.

Edited by Libaax, 23 January 2012 - 04:54 PM.

[monk]

obviously he enjoyed author to author interactions, and i'd speculate that world builders such as those two might be good influences on each other. imagine howard delved deeper and gave us some actual language.

[witchfire]

he might also have liked Moorcoc's work

[Rockamobile]

he might also have liked Moorcoc's work

He would have also liked Karl Edward Wagner's Kane novels and short stories.

Edited by Rockamobile, 24 January 2012 - 11:55 PM.

[Rockamobile]

obviously he enjoyed author to author interactions, and i'd speculate that world builders such as those two might be good influences on each other. imagine howard delved deeper and gave us some actual language.

Im trying to imagine what kind of Correspondence that Tolkien and Howard would have had . They would gotten . Howard missed the Hobbit by one year it was published in 1937.

[Gin-Wulf]

i think he would have respected LOTR and the hobbit, but i don't know if i think he would be a fan.i think he might have found it to fantasy or with weak characters, not that they are not thought out or explored, but all seem to have the "weakness" can't except whats happening to them and why me kinda thing. that is the main reason i like REH as a writer more than any other, his characters are strong not just in physical ways but in the way that they don't give up and the primal urge to live and survive , kill or be killed is found in his characters.

[cromsguts]

I think had he lived longer he would have evolved into more serious , less fantastic stuff. He would more than likely ended up in Hollywood. He was pretty much moving away from "Conan" type stories when he killed himself. I feel he would have really hit his stride as a Western writer for the silver screen. He would have been terrific with Howard Hawks and John Huston. Imagine a Howard tale with Duke Wayne or Robert Mitchum............

Not sure if he would have liked JRRT probably some of it. G.R.R. Martin he would have loved.

Edited by cromsguts, 09 February 2012 - 10:30 PM.

[Rockamobile]

He would have liked like Jack Vance and his Dying Earth novels

Edited by Rockamobile, 26 February 2012 - 12:09 AM.

[Rockamobile]

I think had he lived longer he would have evolved into more serious , less fantastic stuff. He would more than likely ended up in Hollywood. He was pretty much moving away from "Conan" type stories when he killed himself. I feel he would have really hit his stride as a Western writer for the silver screen. He would have been terrific with Howard Hawks and John Huston. Imagine a Howard tale with Duke Wayne or Robert Mitchum............

Not sure if he would have liked JRRT probably some of it. G.R.R. Martin he would have loved.

I think he would come back to fantasy , later on .

He would have loved Martin's books.

Edited by Rockamobile, 26 February 2012 - 12:12 AM.

[thatericn]

obviously he enjoyed author to author interactions, and i'd speculate that world builders such as those two might be good influences on each other. imagine howard delved deeper and gave us some actual language.

Im trying to imagine what kind of Correspondence that Tolkien and Howard would have had . They would gotten . Howard missed the Hobbit by one year it was published in 1937.

It sort of reminds me of the situation of Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart died young just before Beethoven hit the big time. So many common influences, yet such wonderfully different outcomes. I don't know if JRRT and REH would have been on each other's "radar" until LoTR hit, although JRRT might well have read a thing or two of REH's, as he was interested in SF and fantasy.

It would be fun to have had them compare characters and world-building ideas. Conan and Turin - Kull and Aragorn - dark ages and cataclisms...

I can also see REH, no longer with family ties to Cross Plains, possibly moving to L.A. to work in movies - working on Western, noire and fantasy scripts. Later, in the 50's working on historical epics!

L.A. was also a bit of a boxing hub back then too. We can imagine him at gyms, or going to big fights.

It would be fascinating if he had gotten to know Hemingway. Maybe some fishing in Cuba or Florida? Hunting in Montana!!

Younger generations of writers would likely feel too "cool" to communicate much with REH. No hanging out with Norman Mailer, etc...

Ah, the WHAT IF's of it all!

[Kortoso]

It sort of reminds me of the situation of Mozart and Beethoven. Mozart died young just before Beethoven hit the big time.

The young Beethoven was brought to Mozart, hoping to become a student. Mozart refused, saying that Ludwig had no promise.

Actually, I double-checked that story. It seems that Beethoven was in line to become Mozart's sucessor, but needed to tend to his bed-ridden mother, dying from tuberculosis.