4 replies to this topic

[Toadyking]

My dad once told me to live in the past is extremely tough and you could only sustain it for so long if you for example time travelled backward, well that goes without saying how we admire REH but honestly, Texas, early 20th century and you're constantly doing laborous jobs, fighting, aka dealing with pricks a lot probably to a degree unforeseen since now we are into long distance communication (ahem...). Not only physically but a mental nerve exertion. I can only imagine a regular day to go through what REH goes through.

[Munthasem]

I assume it certainly was a rough time. It's a time of the big economical crisis in the US starting with the black Friday 1929. so through the thirties there wasn't roses and dardelions blossoming for people out there.

I can imagine that you really had to work your ass off if you want just to make it through the day. Having that in mind, it's no wonder Howard wrote stories about characters bigger than life, and in settings so out of his time.
Add a bit of personal insecurity, possible problems with publishers here and there, trying to pull as much money for his yarns as he could, working here and there, encountering with various people, probably all of them tensed from all of that insecurity and empty pockets... fiction seems as some enchanted time pocket where you could escape, by the lamp in the evening reading your Weird tales.

[Skullface]

Our time is no picnic.It is almost like another world when looked at beside the1930s.
We need escape more than Bob did...my phone makes it very hard.Both the house and cell ring at the same time some days.
I wish I could live in 30s Texas,so it was hard work,we know more now but have little peace.How long do think REH would last left in this age?

[Munthasem]

It is an interesting thing that many people I used to talk to who does jobs with clients and office work, business travelling, running a bar or something, say that many times they'd rather work in a field or in a stable, some village work, chopping timbers, or whatever than just wait a whole day for one phone call, not knowing will they make it through the day financially and what of their jobs will actually end up without problems and payed on time.

I've tried to imagine the Howard's world and the need for heroes even in fiction when everything around was so unstable and insecure. Add to that the health problems of his mother and who knows what else, and that Colt he used to put the bullet through his head suddenly looks friendlier than you expect.

As a matter of fact, today's tasks are different but as you've said, are not that much more secure than being a pulp novelist was in 1930's Texas. It's only a thIng of being able to live with and through it or not.

Edited by Munthasem, 21 April 2012 - 03:26 PM.

[Rockamobile]

My dad once told me to live in the past is extremely tough and you could only sustain it for so long if you for example time travelled backward, well that goes without saying how we admire REH but honestly, Texas, early 20th century and you're constantly doing laborous jobs, fighting, aka dealing with pricks a lot probably to a degree unforeseen since now we are into long distance communication (ahem...). Not only physically but a mental nerve exertion. I can only imagine a regular day to go through what REH goes through.

Even with full knowledge of the situation living in that time would be very difficult for me.

Edited by Rockamobile, 29 April 2012 - 12:54 AM.