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One Who Walked Alone: Robert E. Howard the Final Years

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Robert E. Howard was perhaps the greatest, and the most prolific, pulp fiction writer ever, working in no less than six genres at once, from the fantasy/action tales of his most well known character, Conan the Barbarian, to poetry. He would often sit at his typewriter for up to eighteen hours at a stretch, hammering out his "yarns," as he liked to call his stories, at times producing upward of ten to twelve thousand words a day. But he was the consummate loner, an enigmatic individual who lived vicariously through the characters of his own creation, and under the same roof as his parents until his untimely death in 1936. "One Who Walked Alone," by Novalyne Price Ellis, is a chronicle of the final years of his life, recounted by the person who, in the whole wide world, probably knew him better than anyone.

Novalyne Price first met Bob Howard in the late spring of 1933, at her farm in Brownwood, Texas, where they were introduced by a mutual friend, Clyde Smith. Clyde knew that Novalyne, just out of college and an aspiring writer, wanted to meet him-- a real writer who actually made his living doing what he loved. It was a brief visit, and Novalyne would not see Bob again until the fall of 1934, when she landed a job teaching drama and speech at the local High School in the small town of Cross Plains, not too far from her family farm in Brownwood. She was happy to have the job, times being what they were, but she was even more thrilled because Cross Plains was where Bob Howard lived with his parents. And once she had settled in at the Hemphill's boarding house that would be her home during the school year, she took the initiative and contacted Bob. It was the beginning of a close and sometimes stormy relationship, during which Novalyne got as close to Bob as any woman could possibly get. Because there was an obstacle in Bob's life that was nearly insurmountable-- as Novalyne would soon discover.

Robert E. Howard was a big man; six feet, two hundred pounds. But he was "different" than most men, in that he had few friends and led a predominantly solitary existence. He was an outsider who had trouble negotiating the simple aspects of day-to-day living, especially when it came to the social amenities, but most significantly, there was that obstacle: His mother. By 1934, Mrs. Howard was in poor health, and inexplicably, Bob somehow felt that it fell to him to take care of her, to nurse her and see to her every need, even though his father was a doctor, with a practice right there in Cross Plains. It was something that Novalyne could never understand. One explanation is that it was because Mrs. Howard was the only person who ever encouraged Bob to write, and who stood by him in his endeavors unconditionally. Which was no small thing in this time and place. Bob was a victim of a small town mentality that held that a man should have a "real" job, earning his living by the sweat of his brow. And sitting at a typewriter was no job for a "real" man. Bob would say he didn't care about what people said about him or thought-- but, of course, he did; and Novalyne knew it. She also knew that between his mother and his environment, Bob Howard had encountered demons he could neither control nor dispel.

This account is taken from the journals Novalyne kept during the all too brief time she had with Bob (a period just short of two years), and what emerges is a tragic portrait of a young man-- vital and filled with life, intelligent, with so much to offer the world and with so much to live for-- who instead lived a tormented existence and suffered needlessly. He was a man who loved history and longed to travel and discover adventure in the real world. But he never had the chance. He was endowed with a sensitivity-- a gentle, poetic nature which his physical appearance belied-- that kept him out of step with his environment. He was a man born in the wrong century, and decidedly in the wrong part of the world. His sensibilities were more conducive to a larger, more vibrant local, like New York City or any of the larger cities of Europe; places in which he would have been accepted and appreciated for who and what he was, where he and his writing could have thrived. But it was not to be; and at the age of thirty, Robert E. Howard died, right there in Cross Plains, Texas.

Novalyne Price held on to her journals for many years, hoping to someday put Bob's story-- which is her story, as well-- down for posterity. Finally, after retiring from a long and satisfying career as a teacher, she did just that, and "One Who Walked Alone" is the result. First published in 1986 (and made into an outstanding film, "The Whole Wide World," in 1996), not only is it a wonderful, moving and heartfelt story, well written and presented, but the kind of first hand account that is extremely rare; an account that puts you in the car with Bob and Novalyne during their many long drives through the Texas countryside, when Bob would "shoot his mouth off" and offer his "best girl" a beautiful sunset while they spoke of writing, religion, politics, our "rotting civilization" and just about everything else. And, reading this book, one can be thankful that she kept those journals. Because this book-- the story of Robert E. Howard's final years-- was definitely worth the wait.

I began reading R. E. Howard's stories about ten years ago when a very intelligent friend informed me that Howard had been one of the best writers, along with H.P Lovecraft and Clark Ashton Smith, for Weird Tales magazine at its beginning. These stories swept me away into Howard's incredibly savage Hyborian age, with their action, devilish plotting and larger than life heros. I realized, before reading the introductions about Howard, that the man who had written these stories was larger than life himself. So when I saw the movie of his life, The Whole Wide World, in the grocery store, I rented it. At the end it credited Novalyne Price Ellis's memoir, One Who Walked Alone, as its inspiration. N. P. Ellis was Howard's girlfriend during the last four years of his life, the period when he was writing his Conan stories. Mrs. Ellis, a great high school speech teacher and drama coach at the time, kept diaries and observations of her time spent with R.E.H. and had them transcribed much later into the memoir. N.P.E. had wanted to become a selling writer for most of her life, and the memoir shows that she had a tremendous eye for detail, assessing what drove people, and the speech patterns of the time. This is a fabulous book told as dramatized encounters, arranged with perfectly-captured coversations she'd had with Howard and others, and carefully detailed scene development. I enjoyed the story so well that I actually went to Howard's house in Cross Plains, TX which they like to show as a museum. I spoke with many people there who knew about the Howards.

Although this may be a "chick" reason, I read this book after seeing the movie "The Whole Wide World". The movie struck me strongly because my best friend recently committed suicide, and my relationship with him had many parallels between Novalyne and Bob. The book was not only enlightening into the mind of two geniuses, but also became a pillar of strength for me to see how an independent woman was able to fondly look back on a relationship with a doomed man.

If I would have looked at the book from an unbiased, outside perspective (before viewing the movie), I would naievly have said that I didn't think I would be interested in it. I did not know who Robert E. Howard was before seeing the movie. Sure, I was familiar with Conan, but it had never peaked my interest, certainly not enough to read a novel based on the author's life.

Having said that, I NOW would say that this novel can be read and appreciated by any type of person. While for obvious reasons it would be interesting to Robert E. Howard literature fans, I believe it also would be extremely comforting to those who have lost a close companion to suicide, as well as enlightening to those who are judgmental at times.

True, the novel is mostly dialogue and thus may seem rather monotonous, but I beg to differ. I could not put this book down. It captured my interest and my heart immediately. In my opinion, Novalyne Price Ellis finally achieved her goal of becoming a successful writer. She certainly won me over. I applaud both her writing skills and her beautiful life story.

I loved this book! Although not too much actually happenes - the action is mostly Novalyne and Bob driving around talking - I was swept up by the story.

It captures the texture and difficulty of West Texas perfectly. It is full of powerful ideas on the writing life. It is a bittersweet doomed love story.

Be sure and see "The Whole Wide World" - an excellent film adaptation of this novel. The book and the movie complement each other, they are even better together than apart.

Bill Chance

This is a wonderful memoir about Robert E. Howard,the creator of Conan the Barbarian. The author, Novalyne Price Ellis, fondly remembers her close relationship with the troubled pulp fiction writer before he killed himself. An inspiring movie, The Whole Wide World (starring Renee Zellweger and Vincent D'Onofrio), based on One Who Walked Alone, was critically well accepted. Because of viewer and reader requests, the book has been reprinted by Donald M. Grant, Publisher, with a beautiful new jacket cover. The book and movie are both very touching and worthwhile.

As a boy in a small New Mexico desert town, in a family that discouraged television watching, I discovered Conan and R. E. Howard, and was captured by his imagination. He could spin a yarn like no one else. This man was no illiterate barbarian writing drivel for the masses. He wasn't thinking about demographics, or target audiences, or sequels. I felt R. E. Howard wrote because he had no choice. Ms. Price made me aware that Conan's creator was a flesh and blood man who lived a tragic and short life. Read the book, even if you've never wandered on the Cimmerian borderlands.

I call this book "unforgetable" because this is what it is. First I saw the movie and then, just had to have the book. Since then, Novalyne Price and Robert E. Howard have become real live people, to me. Since I have read the book and saw the movie.....I have moved to Texas. I plan a trip to Cross Plains and Brownwood, to be there where everything took place. To read about these two people and their relationship with one another, has effected my life. I only wish they could still be here so I could meet and talk with them. I feel once a body reads this book, they will be "hooked" on the two people...Novalyne and Bob...and will always be seeking more about them and their lives. Barb Tripp

This was one of the best books I've read in a long time. I searched everyone where for it after seeing the amazing movie, The Whole Wide World which is based on the book. This memoir is essentially a love story, intertwined with startling philisophical conversations between two intelligent people with opposing mind-sets. Most of all, The One Who Walked Alone is a book about writing and writers and the struggle and passion the profession ivolves. I loved every page of this moving work.

Like a dandelion pushing through a crack in the sidewalk, love blooms in the most unlikely of places. One such love story took place on the hot and dusty fields of Cross Plains, Texas. Set in the Depression, this is a story about a man and a woman... one with dreams and hope for the future... the other doomed forever, out of fear for what the future might bring.

Some love stories wither and die, like the dandelion in the sidewalk, only when the characters realize there is nothing left to sustain them. Forever separated in their story's final chapter, only one of them will walk off into the beautiful Texas sunset.

This heartbreaking story, told by Novalyn Price-Ellis, describes the author's brief relationship with one of the greatest Pulp-Fiction writers of the time, Robert E. Howard. Their story is also retold in the film version called The Whole Wide World starring Renee Zellweger and Vincent D'Onofrio. For more information about the film, please visit the official Sony Pictures Classics website.

This book could have used more editing. However, the writer's voice really comes alive on the page. She does a wonderful job of describing the West Texas landscape and how it relates to the emotions she feels for Robert E. Howard. The amateurish writing style actually enhances the reader's ability to enjoy the book. Novalyne reminds you of teachers you have had or people you know. Her sincerity and stregnth are evident on every page. You do not have to be a Conan the Barbarian fan to enjoy this heartfelt book.