Robert E. Howard

Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American pulp fiction author from Texas , best known for creating Conan the Cimmerian, a fierce barbarian warrior whose exploits pioneered the sword and sorcery subgenre of fantasy literature through vivid tales of heroism, combat, and ancient worlds. Born in Peaster and raised in Cross Plains, Howard drew from history, mythology, and his own athletic pursuits—including boxing and weightlifting —to craft stories emphasizing raw vitality and the superiority of barbarism over decaying civilization .

During a career spanning little over a decade, Howard produced hundreds of works across diverse genres such as weird horror, historical adventure, detective tales, and Westerns, with many serialized in magazines like Weird Tales and earning him a modest living to support his ailing mother and physician father. He corresponded extensively with H.P. Lovecraft , exchanging ideas on fiction and philosophy, yet Howard's focus remained on fast-paced, visceral narratives rather than cosmic dread. His Conan stories, beginning with "The Phoenix on the Sword" in 1932, laid foundational elements for heroic fantasy, influencing generations of writers and popular media adaptations despite his early death.

Howard's life ended abruptly in suicide by self-inflicted gunshot wound at age 30, triggered by despair over his mother's terminal tuberculosis , which claimed her the following day; this act reflected the intense emotional bond with her and the toll of his isolated, high-output existence in rural Texas . Though his output was shaped by the demands of pulp markets, Howard's unpolished prose and mythic scope have cemented his legacy as a cornerstone of speculative fiction , unmarred by later editorial revisions or dilutions.

Robert Ervin Howard was born on January 22, 1906, in Peaster, a rural community in Parker County, Texas. He was the only child of Isaac Mordecai Howard, a country physician born in 1871, and Hester Jane Ervin Howard, born in 1870; his parents had married on January 12, 1904.

Isaac Howard's itinerant medical practice necessitated frequent relocations across Texas, with the family residing in at least seven different towns by the time Robert reached age eight; they finally settled in Cross Plains, Callahan County, in 1919, where they remained for the duration of Howard's life. Hester Howard endured chronic illness from early in Robert's childhood, compounded by a familial predisposition to tuberculosis that progressively worsened over time. Despite these challenges, the close-knit family dynamic profoundly shaped Howard's formative years in the rugged Texas landscape.

Robert E. Howard received his early education in the public schools of Cross Plains, Texas , where the system extended only through the tenth grade . To complete his secondary education , he relocated to Brownwood in 1922 and enrolled at Brownwood High School, graduating in May 1923. During this period, he contributed stories and articles to the school newspaper, marking his initial forays into print.

In September 1924, at age 18, Howard enrolled at Howard Payne College in Brownwood, taking courses in stenography and bookkeeping to acquire a practical trade, as urged by his father. He departed after one semester in early 1925, coinciding with the onset of his professional writing sales, forgoing further formal education in favor of self-directed study.

Howard's formative influences stemmed largely from extensive self-education through reading, beginning in childhood with adventure tales, historical accounts, and classical literature such as Shakespeare, the Bible, and Beowulf . Key literary figures included Robert Louis Stevenson, Jeffery Farnol, Rudyard Kipling, Jack London, H. Rider Haggard, Sax Rohmer, and Edgar Rice Burroughs, whose works shaped his depictions of heroism, exotic locales, and primal conflict.