The Barbaric Triumph: The Heroic Fantasy of Robert E. Howard [Paperback]

Don Herron (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: March 17, 2005

The Barbaric Triumph examines all aspects of the life and work of Robert E. Howard -- the originator of the sword-&-sorcery fantasy genre and the creator of Conan the Barbarian. Featured are essays by Leo Grin, Edward A. Waterman, Charles Hoffman, Paul Spencer, Mark Finn, Steven R. Trout, Lauric Guillaud, Scott Connors, George Knight, Don Herron, and more. From the phantoms of Hate simmering beneath Howard's blood-drenched prose to Howard's lifelong interest in philosophy, from Howard's visionary use of the American Frontier Myth to his tales of boxing, The Barbaric Triumph builds on the pioneering research of Herron's previous book on Howard, The Dark Barbarian, and takes it to new levels.

Product Details

• Paperback: 220 pages
• Publisher: Wildside Press (March 17, 2005)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0809515679
• ISBN-13: 978-0809515677
• Product Dimensions: 8.9 x 5.9 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 5.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (3 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,924,552 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

11 of 13 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Editor's Description of the Book, September 6, 2004

By 

Edward A. Waterman (Long Beach, CA United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barbaric Triumph: The Heroic Fantasy of Robert E. Howard (Paperback)

The Barbaric Triumph examines important aspects of the life and work of Robert E. Howard -- the originator of the Sword-&-Sorcery fantasy genre and the creator of Conan the Barbarian. Featured are essays by Leo Grin, Edward A. Waterman, Charles Hoffman, Paul Spencer, Mark Finn, Steven R. Trout, Lauric Guillaud, Scott Connors, George Knight, Don Herron, and more. From the phantoms of Hate simmering beneath Howard's blood-drenched prose to Howard's lifelong interest in philosophy, from Howard's visionary use of the American Frontier Myth to his tales of boxing, The Barbaric Triumph builds on the pioneering research of Herron's previous book on Howard, The Dark Barbarian, and takes it to new levels.

The book features 11 essays including the prophetic 1943 fan article "A Voice from the Past" by Paul Spencer; a reprint of one of the first essays that unveiled the profound thought that is found in Howard's work, "Conan the Existential" by Charles Hoffman; an excellent article on Howard's love of boxing and its manifestation within his work in "Fists of Robert E. Howard" by Mark Finn; "The Shadow of a Soul on Fire" is a wide ranging examination of Howard's philosophy and trend of thought stemming from the Romantic Age by Edward A. Waterman; "Heritage of Steel" by Steven R. Trout on Howard's use of the frontier myth; the insightful "Barbarism and Decadence" by renowned French scholar Lauric Guillaud; "Twilight of the Gods" by Scott Connors on Howard and fascism; a cosmic exploration of "Gigantic Gulfs of Time" in Howard's Conan and Kull stories by Steven Tompkins; "Lands of Darkness and Nightmares" by George Knight; "The Reign of Blood" by Leo Grin on Howard's use of hate in his work; and culminating with a survey of the current state of affairs in the Howard literary field, "The Barbaric Triumph" by Don Herron.

"THE BARBARIC TRIUMPH" is an achievement, arguably the most significant contribution to Howard studies to date." -- Charles Hoffman

1 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars ROBERT E. HOWARD = THE BEST OF THE BEST!, April 30, 2008

By 

The Barbarian (Cimmeria) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Barbaric Triumph: The Heroic Fantasy of Robert E. Howard (Paperback)

This is an outstanding intellectual study of REH. Be sure to read as many of REH's stories as you can prior because this book takes excerpts of them to analyze. First read The Dark Barbarian 1984 by Don Herron. I couldn't put these books down! Both highly recommended!!

This book covers REH's thoughts on Darwin, Freud-The Id-Ego-Super Ego, and more. It really gets you thinking. When two young children fight they scratch and claw which is innate behavior and not learned such as boxing.

Visit your local Barnes & Noble bookstore - friendly customer service - and you can place your order for this book. Takes only a few days and it's free shipping.

Must Reads: Blood & Thunder, The Life & Art of REH by Mark Finn, The Last of the Trunk by Paul Herman, One Who Walked Alone by Novalyne Price - REH's girlfriend, Selected Letters of REH, The Beast From The Abyss about CATS, The Black Stranger & Other American Tales which has the scariest story called Pigeons From Hell, Dark Horse comics Pigeons From Hell & Conan, Two-Gun Bob; A Centenial Study of REH, Solomon Kane, Kull, Cormac Mac Art, Lord of Samarcand, All Weird Tales, Savage Sword of Conan 1970's B&W magazine by Roy Thomas & John Buscema, etc.

We all owe huge gratitude to Don Herron, Glen Lord, Mark Finn, Paul Herman, Rob Roehm, Novalyne Price, Roy Thomas, Dark Horse comics, John Buscema, and everyone that has kept REH's legacy alive. Thank you very much and check out the REH Foundation and Forum.

5.0 out of 5 stars An essential volume of REH literary criticism, February 28, 2008

By 

L. A Richardson "reh1221906" (United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Barbaric Triumph: The Heroic Fantasy of Robert E. Howard (Paperback)

An excellent follow-up to Don Herron's "The Dark Barbarian". If you want to find a guide to understanding the power and depth of Robert E. Howard's writings, look no further. All of the essays are so good, I won't waste my time trying to narrow down stand-outs. Each essayist achieves his individual goal of casting light on a certain aspect of REH's literary output. Enjoy.