• Rating:
The number 7 of Zothique will surely delight all fans of Robert E. Howard, the Bard of Cross Plains. It has been since the legendary volumes and notebooks of the legendary Yorick Fantasy Magazine by Massimo Tassi that no "Howardian" specials have been published in Italy. Now Dagon Press remedies this with an issue that proves to be truly enticing for enthusiasts, with contributions from many scholars of the fantastic. The opening article, entitled "The World of Robert E. Howard," is penned by the late Giuseppe Lippi. Lippi highlights how Howard, essentially like H.P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, was an "Outsider" struggling against his time and the everyday reality from which he sought to escape. There is certainly something "Nietzschean" in wanting to sublimate his personal rebellion in a character like Conan. That of the 3 musketeers of Weird Tales, as Lippi rightly writes, "Is a vibrant protest against the order of things, which one strives to replace with another founded on aesthetic canons." We then have 2 autobiographical writings by Howard (one reconstructed by Glenn Lord drawing from his correspondence). But we also find letters unpublished in Italy that shed light on the man, some truly touching and dramatic, like the one from May 6, 1935, sent to the director of Weird Tales Farnsworth Wright in which the writer urgently asks for money to afford the care of his beloved sick mother. Unfortunately, a few months later, following her death, Howard ended his life. There are numerous essayistic contributions, among which those by 2 protagonists of the Italian fandom stand out, Matteo Mancini and Michele Tetro, the latter an authority when talking about Robert E. Howard as evidenced by his beautiful volume Robert E. Howard e gli eroi della valle oscura published by Odoya. Mancini talks extensively about the "Howardian" character Steve Harrison (whose stories have recently been made available in Italy thanks to Providence Press), who, for part of the critics, is akin to the classic figure of the "occult detective," while Michele Tetro focuses on a perhaps lesser-known figure, Cormac Mac Art, a Gaelic raider who lived between the 5th and 6th centuries. Tetro rightly notes how Howard railed against the Romans and their relaxed customs, exalting the purity of the barbarians. Among other contributions (really numerous), I found Giovanni Valenzano's piece on the novel Almuric very interesting, which remains almost a "unicum" in his production (and perhaps it is only partially his). The author explains how the first Italian translation by Gianluigi Zuddas (also a fantasy writer) is far from being faithful. Undoubtedly very interesting is the study by Mariano D’Anza on Howard's poetry, although it should be noted that this is the third part of a lengthy and very analytical essay (the first 2 parts can be found in Zothique 2 and 3). The issue (but there should also be a sequel!) is accompanied by numerous photos and illustrations (including those by the talented Gino Carosini who is also the author of the splendid cover with the ominous black figure depicting Howard shooting himself in the head) and unpublished stories. The closing is entrusted to a story by Andrea Guido Silvi (Lo Latromante) who recently came to attention with the fantasy and historical novel Rodi: Il sorriso del colosso which is available in ebook form. Thanks to Pietro Guarriello (translator of many of the texts) who has recently accelerated the releases of this magazine.
Zothique 7 - Special Robert E. Howard – Dagon Press - 2021
Loading comments slowly
