NationMaster - Encyclopedia: Clark Ashton Smith

Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893-August 14, 1961) was a poet, sculptor, painter and author of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories. It is for these stories, and his literary friendship with H. P. Lovecraft from 1922 until Lovecraft's death in 1937, that he is mainly remembered today. Clark Ashton Smith, H. P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard are today the three most famous contributors to the pulp magazine Weird Tales. No file by this name exists; you can upload it. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... Long Valley Caldera is a depression in eastern California that is adjacent to Mammoth Mountain. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 kmÂ²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pacific Grove, California city hall. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 kmÂ²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ... For the album by the Kaiser Chiefs see Employment (album) Employment is a contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. ... In English usage, nationality is the legal relationship between a person and a country. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... A literary genre is one of the divisions of literature into genres according to particular criteria such as literary technique, tone, or content. ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle, or horrify the reader. ... Smaug in his lair: an illustration for the fantasy The Hobbit Fantasy is a genre of art that uses magic and other supernatural forms as a primary element of plot, theme, or setting. ... Sci-fi is an abbreviation for science fiction. ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 â€“ October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ... Richard Burton, portrait by Frederic Leighton, National Portrait Gallery, London Sir Richard Francis Burton (March 19, 1821 - October 19, 1890), British consul, explorer, translator, and Orientalist, was born at Barham House, Hertfordshire, England. ... Best known as Lord Dunsany, Edward John Moreton Drax Plunkett, 18th Baron of Dunsany (July 24, 1878â€“October 25, 1957) was an Irish writer and dramatist notable for his work in fantasy and horror. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 â€“ March 15, 1937) was an American author from Providence, Rhode Island of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 â€“ March 15, 1937) was an American author of fantasy, horror and science fiction, noted for combining these three genres within single narratives. ... Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 â€“ June 11, 1936)[1] was a classic American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. ... Fritz Reuter Leiber Jr. ... John Holbrook Vance (born August 28, 1916 in San Francisco, California) is generally described as an American fantasy and science fiction author, though Vance himself has reportedly objected to such labels. ... January 13 is the 13th day of the year in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1893 (MDCCCXCIII) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar (or a common year starting on Tuesday of the 12-day slower Julian calendar). ... is the 226th day of the year (227th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1961 (MCMLXI) was a common year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... The poor poet A poet is a person who writes poetry. ... A sculpture is a three-dimensional object, which for the purposes of this article is man-made and selected for special recognition as art. ... Painting by Rembrandt self-portrait Detail from Las Meninas by Diego Velazquez, in which the painter portrayed himself at work For the computer graphics program, see Corel Painter. ... For other definitions of fantasy see fantasy (psychology). ... Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction in any medium intended to scare, unsettle, or horrify the reader. ... Science fiction is a form of speculative fiction principally dealing with the impact of imagined science and technology, or both, upon society and persons as individuals. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 â€“ March 15, 1937) was an American author from Providence, Rhode Island of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 â€“ March 15, 1937) was an American author from Providence, Rhode Island of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ... Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 â€“ June 11, 1936)[1] was a classic American pulp writer of fantasy, horror, historical adventure, boxing, western, and detective fiction. ... Flynns Detective Fiction from 1941. ... This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ...

Biography

Early life and education

Smith spent most of his life in the small town of Auburn, California, living in a small cabin with his parents, Fanny and Timeus Smith. His formal education was limited; he attended only eight years of grammar school and never went to high school. However, he continued to teach himself after he left school, learning French and Spanish, and his near-photographic memory allowed him to retain prodigious amounts from his very wide reading, which including several entire dictionaries and encyclopedias. Auburn is the county seat of Placer County, California, USA. The population was 12,462 at the 2000 census. ... Official language(s) English Capital Sacramento Largest city Los Angeles Largest metro area Greater Los Angeles Area Ranked 3rd - Total 158,302 sq mi (410,000 kmÂ²) - Width 250 miles (400 km) - Length 770 miles (1,240 km) - % water 4. ... This article does not cite any references or sources. ... This article contains a trivia section. ... Brockhaus Konversations-Lexikon, 1902 An encyclopedia, encyclopaedia or (traditionally) encyclopÃ¦dia[1] is a comprehensive written compendium that contains information on all branches of knowledge or a particular branch of knowledge. ...

Early writing and influences

Smith began writing stories at the age of eleven and two of them, The Sword of Zagan and The Black Diamonds, have recently been published by Hippocampus Press. Both stories use a medieval, Arabian Nights-like setting, and the Arabian Nights, like the fairy tales of the Brothers Grimm and the works of Edgar Allan Poe, are known to have strongly influenced Smith's early writing. Hippocampus Press is an American publisher of fantasy, horror and science fiction, and specializes in reprints or first editions of work by authors such as H. P. Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith. ... The Middle Ages formed the middle period in a traditional schematic division of European history into three ages: the classical civilization of Antiquity, the Middle Ages, and modern times, beginning with the Renaissance. ... Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ... Queen Scheherazade tells her stories to King Shahryar. ... For information about the other uses of the name, see Brothers Grimm (disambiguation). ... Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 â€“ October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. ...

In his later youth Smith became the protegé of the San Francisco poet George Sterling, who helped him to publish his first volume of poems, The Star-Treader and Other Poems, at the age of nineteen. The Star-Treader was received very favorably by American critics, one of whom named Smith "the Keats of the Pacific." Smith made the acquaintance of Sterling through a member of the local Auburn Monday Night Club, where he read several of his poems with considerable success. The publication of Ebony and Crystal in 1922 was followed by a fan letter from H. P. Lovecraft, which was the beginning of fifteen years of friendship and correspondence. This page is a candidate for speedy deletion. ... George Sterling posing for an illustration of Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 â€“ March 15, 1937) was an American author from Providence, Rhode Island of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ...

Work and marriage

Smith was poor for most of his life and was often forced to take menial jobs such as fruitpicking and woodcutting in order to support himself and his parents. Following the death of his parents, he married Carol Jones Dorman on 10 November 1954 and moved to Pacific Grove, California, where he set up a household with their children. is the 314th day of the year (315th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1954 (MCMLIV) was a common year (link will display full calendar) of the Gregorian calendar. ... Pacific Grove, California city hall. ...

Health and death

During his life he suffered from eye problems. He died in his sleep on August 14th 1961.

Phases of preferred art forms

While Smith was always an artist who worked in several very different media, it is possible to identify three distinctive phases in which one form of art had precedence over the others.

Poetry: Until 1961

Smith published most of his volumes of poetry in this period, including the aforementioned The Star-Treader and Other Poems, as well as Odes and Sonnets (1918), Ebony and Crystal (1922) and Sandalwood (1925). His epic poem The Hashish-Eater; Or, the Apocalypse of Evil was written in 1920. In mathematics, see epic morphism. ...

Weird Fiction: 1926–1935

Smith wrote most of his weird fiction and Cthulhu Mythos stories, possibly inspired by H. P. Lovecraft. Creatures of his invention include Aforgomon, Rlim-Shaikorth, Mordiggian, Tsathoggua, the wizard Eibon, and various others. Horror fiction is, broadly, fiction intended to scare, unsettle or horrify the reader. ... Cthulhu and Rlyeh The Cthulhu Mythos encompasses the shared elements, characters, settings, and themes in the works of H. P. Lovecraft and associated horror fiction writers. ... Howard Phillips Lovecraft (August 20, 1890 â€“ March 15, 1937) was an American author from Providence, Rhode Island of fantasy, horror and science fiction. ... Aforgomon is a fictional character in the Cthulhu Mythos. ... Rlim-Shaikorth is a Great Old One an creation of Clark Ashton Smith. ... Mordiggian is a fictional character in the Cthulhu mythos. ... Tsathoggua (the Sleeper of Nkai) is a fictional supernatural entity in the Cthulhu Mythos shared fictional universe. ... The Hyperborean cycle is a series of short stories by Clark Ashton Smith that take place in the fictional land of Hyperborea (present-day Greenland). ...

The stories form several cycles, called after the lands in which they are set: Averoigne, Hyperborea, Mars, Poseidonis, Xiccarph, Zothique.[1] Stories set in Zothique belong to the Dying Earth subgenre. Averoigne is a fictional counterpart of a historical province in France, detailed in a series of short stories by the American writer Clark Ashton Smith. ... The Hyperborean cycle is a series of short stories by Clark Ashton Smith that take place in the fictional land of Hyperborea (present-day Greenland). ... Fictional representations of Mars have been popular for over a century. ... Picture of Platos description of Atlantis Atlantis (Greek: , Island of Atlas) is the name of a legendary island first mentioned in Platos dialogues Timaeus and Critias. ... Xiccarph is a collection of fantasy short stories by Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Lin Carter. ... Zothique is an imagined future continent featured in a series of short stories by Clark Ashton Smith. ... The Dying Earth subgenre is a sub-category of science fantasy which takes place at the end of Time, when the Sun slowly fades and the laws of the Universe themselves fail, with the science becoming indistinguishable from magic. ...

His short stories originally appeared in the magazines Weird Tales, Strange Tales, Astounding Stories, Stirring Science Stories and Wonder Stories. Many of the stories were published in six hardcover volumes by August Derleth under his Arkham House imprint. This page is about the fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine and its heirs. ... Strange Tales was the name of several comic book anthology series that have been published by Marvel Comics. ... Astounding Stories was a seminal science fiction magazine founded in 1930. ... Oct. ... Wonder Stories was a science fiction pulp magazine which published 66 issues between 1930 and 1936, edited by Hugo Gernsback. ...

The Tale of Satampra Zeiros is a short story written in 1929 by Clark Ashton Smith as part of his Hyperborean cycle, and first published in the November 1931 issue of Weird Tales. ...

Sculpture: 1935–1961

By this time his interest in writing fiction began to lessen and he turned to creating sculptures from soft rock such as soapstone. The lid of a pyrophyllite box. ...

Books

Night Shade Books Image File history File links Wikisource-logo. ... The original Wikisource logo. ...

Ballantine Adult Fantasy series Out of Space and Time is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... Lost Worlds is a collection of Fantasy, Horror and Science fiction short stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... Genius Loci and Other Tales is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... The Dark Chateau is a collection of poems by Clark Ashton Smith. ... Spells and Philtres is a collection of poems by Clark Ashton Smith. ... The Abominations of Yondo is a collection of fantasy, horror and science fiction short stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... Tales of Science and Sorcery is a collection of stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... Poems in Prose is an illustrated collection of prose poems by Clark Ashton Smith. ... Other Dimensions is a collection of stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... Selected Poems is a collection of poems by Clark Ashton Smith. ... The Black Book of Clark Ashton Smith is a transcription of a notebook that was kept by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... A Rendezvous in Averoigne is a collection of science fiction, fantasy and horror stories by author Clark Ashton Smith. ... Selected Letters of Clark Ashton Smith is a collection of letters by Clark Ashton Smith. ... Launched in 1969 (presumably in response to the growing popularity of Tolkiens works), the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series reissued a number of works of fantasy literature, which were out of print or dispersed in back issues of pulp magazines (or otherwise not easily available in the United States), in...

Millennium Fantasy Masterworks Zothique is a collection of fantasy short stories by Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Lin Carter. ... Hyperborea is a collection of fantasy short stories by Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Lin Carter. ... Xiccarph is a collection of fantasy short stories by Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Lin Carter. ... Poseidonis is a collection of fantasy short stories by Clark Ashton Smith, edited by Lin Carter. ... Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 - February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor and critic. ...

Journals of Smith Studies

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