Robert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 - June 11, 1936) was a writer of fantasy and historical adventure pulp stories, published primarily in Weird Tales magazine in the 1930s.
He was born in Peaster, Texas, the son of a doctor, and grew up in Cross Plains. He began writing professionally aged fifteen, but was not published until "Spear and Fang" appeared in the July 1925 edition of Weird Tales, he had his first 'cover' in 1926.
He wrote stories in many genres, but his most famous creation is the giant barbarian warrior Conan, first appearing in "The Phoenix on the Sword" in December 1932. His other characters include the Atlantean King Kull, the Puritan adventurer Solomon Kane and the Pict Bran Mak Morn. He also created the female warrior Red Sonja, although the version of the character known to most fans differs from Howard's version.
Howard's prose is straightforward, colorful, and exciting more than subtle and literary, attempting to entertain rather than instruct,but not without sophistication. Howard tells of worlds where violence is usually the best solution to problems, and where gold, jewels, and beautiful women are often the hero's reward.
Howard corresponded with other pulp authors of the day, such as H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith.
He committed suicide after his tubercular mother fell into a coma.