Classic Pulp Writers from the Past
- By Ryan Round
- Published 02/24/2010
- Writing
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Rating:
In today's modern world, the era of the short story magazine seems like a relic of the past. That is not to say that short stories are no longer published. Anyone who walks down the aisle of any popular bookstore will notice that there are a number of collected short story volumes from several genres. But, there are very, very few monthly magazines that exclusively publish fiction.
In the 1920's and 1930's however, there were a number of these magazines and they were known as "pulps". (The nickname pulp was a somewhat derogatory term for the magazines as it refered to the cheapness of the quality of the paper.) These pulp magazines covered a number of genres and were well received by their rabid fans.
During the heyday of pulp magazines, a forum was provided for some of the greatest literary talents of the era. Actually, the influence of these great writers still reverberates to this very day and the influence can be seen in popular writers in modern times. So let's take a look at the most famous of all the writers and their special traits.
Robert E Howard
Without a doubt, if there was no Robert E. Howard, there would have been no Lord of the Rings. It was Howard who created the genre of sword and sorcery with his character Kull the Conqueror. Unfortunately, Kull was not popular and Howard dropped the character. But he did not drop the sword and sorcery genre and moved it to a new character, Conan the Barbarian. Conan's
success has been well documented and the Conan tales laid the foundation for the modern fantasy movement.
H.P. Lovecraft
It has been often said that Lovecraft was a writer who paved the way for horror to become a mainstream accepted genre. In reality, horror had already become popular thanks to the work of Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker. But it was Lovecraft who took the genre in a unique new direction mixing horror with myth, fantasy and even elements of science fiction. Such unique writing made Lovecraft a standout during the age of the pulps and one of its most popular writers. His work remains a huge influence on some of horror and fantasy's most successful modern writers.
August Derleth
Derleth was another great horror writer of the pulp era and his material was unique because it was heavily influenced by biblical studies. Unlike many other contemporary writers, Derleth did not approach his material from an anarchist or nihilistic perspective. Instead he saw the horror genre as a symbol of the eternal struggle between good and evil. Such writing possessed a sense of hope that was missing from the grimmer subject matter commonly found in the genre. This is what allowed his work to reach the level of literary genius that has made Derleth one the fantasy's most respected writers.
There are many writers who made a name for themselves during the pulp era and these three are among the best. The next time you are looking for beach reading material you may wish to peruse one of their collected volumes. They are truly brilliant reading.
In the 1920's and 1930's however, there were a number of these magazines and they were known as "pulps". (The nickname pulp was a somewhat derogatory term for the magazines as it refered to the cheapness of the quality of the paper.) These pulp magazines covered a number of genres and were well received by their rabid fans.
During the heyday of pulp magazines, a forum was provided for some of the greatest literary talents of the era. Actually, the influence of these great writers still reverberates to this very day and the influence can be seen in popular writers in modern times. So let's take a look at the most famous of all the writers and their special traits.
Robert E Howard
Without a doubt, if there was no Robert E. Howard, there would have been no Lord of the Rings. It was Howard who created the genre of sword and sorcery with his character Kull the Conqueror. Unfortunately, Kull was not popular and Howard dropped the character. But he did not drop the sword and sorcery genre and moved it to a new character, Conan the Barbarian. Conan's
H.P. Lovecraft
It has been often said that Lovecraft was a writer who paved the way for horror to become a mainstream accepted genre. In reality, horror had already become popular thanks to the work of Edgar Allan Poe and Bram Stoker. But it was Lovecraft who took the genre in a unique new direction mixing horror with myth, fantasy and even elements of science fiction. Such unique writing made Lovecraft a standout during the age of the pulps and one of its most popular writers. His work remains a huge influence on some of horror and fantasy's most successful modern writers.
August Derleth
Derleth was another great horror writer of the pulp era and his material was unique because it was heavily influenced by biblical studies. Unlike many other contemporary writers, Derleth did not approach his material from an anarchist or nihilistic perspective. Instead he saw the horror genre as a symbol of the eternal struggle between good and evil. Such writing possessed a sense of hope that was missing from the grimmer subject matter commonly found in the genre. This is what allowed his work to reach the level of literary genius that has made Derleth one the fantasy's most respected writers.
There are many writers who made a name for themselves during the pulp era and these three are among the best. The next time you are looking for beach reading material you may wish to peruse one of their collected volumes. They are truly brilliant reading.
Ryan Round
Ryan can show you How To Do Magic Tricks and Mentalism (like you see performed on TV).
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1 Response to "Classic Pulp Writers from the Past"
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said this on 09 Apr 2010 5:47:08 PM CDT
Good article, especially interested in your take on August Derleth. Only complaint would have preferred you to cover more authors in a longer article.
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