Conan the Cimmerian

Interestingly, according to L. Sprague De Camp, Tolkien once said that he "rather liked" Howard's Conan stories (Tolkien made a point to at least try to read anything published in English so he was a very well and widely read gent).

If Howard hadn't died young I wonder what a meeting between the two would have been like considering they were pretty much polar opposites (Oxford don on one side, largely self educated rural Texan on the other.)

edited 9th Oct '17 9:28:47 AM by tricksterson

Ok Im finish reading people of black circle and a witch shall be born: the first is awsome but the second is pretty damn meh, specially since a lot is told by other people, on the pther hand the cruxifiction moment with conan is awsome and brutal.

Also, I saw a uncomplete story of a guy call Alamaric with a girl Lissa running a way for decay city were people are indolence about their doom, i feel THAT is how howard picture civilization: a sleeping people who cant see their doom while they rest in the ruin of their former glory.

It's been a popular concept in historical studies, or at least it was at Howard's time, that humanity moves along an arc of barbarism, civilization, decadence, then back to barbarism. It's a model that's kind of been debunked, as it isn't terribly nuanced and doesn't take into account the fact that tribal societies do count as civilization, and most "barbarian warlords" were trying to build empires which is, again, civilization. Howard had all kinds of old-fashioned notions about masculinity that the image of the powerful, solitary free-booter no doubt played into. And people have been claiming that western civilization is on the verge of collapse since before the Renaissance, so that notion was popular too.

O course, that look like a model for any historian: barbariam comes, install a kindom/empire/whatever, become "civilized" and cruel, them enter decadence and colapse as the next group show and if you see is note about hyborian age, Howard kinda show that mentality.

Now the whole "conan as virility incarnate" yeah....even in the story, Thalia, the evil stygian sorccess is impress with Conan and what to slep with him, saying the people of the city are weak.

A revive worth mentioning. A lot of the Conan tales are now available via audible in collection style formats including the first 13 of the Conan stories called "The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian". It has been a good listen so far and there is plenty more after that.

My favorite tales are Beyond the Black River and Red Nails.