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.

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.

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Poetry: Until 1925

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 published in 1918, Ebony and Crystal (1922) and Sandalwood (1925).

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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.

Related Topics:
Weird fiction - Cthulhu Mythos - H. P. Lovecraft - Aforgomon - Rlim-Shaikorth - Mordiggian - Tsathoggua - Eibon

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The stories form several cycles, called after the lands in which they are set: Averoigne, Hyperborea, Mars, Poseidonis, Xiccarph, Zothique. Stories set in Zothique belong to the Dying Earth subgenre.

Related Topics:
Averoigne - Hyperborea - Mars - Poseidonis - Xiccarph - Zothique - Dying Earth subgenre

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His short stories originally appeared in the magazines Weird Tales, Strange Tales, Astounding Stories, Stirring Science Stories and Wonder Stories.

Related Topics:
Weird Tales - Strange Tales - Astounding Stories - Stirring Science Stories - Wonder Stories

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Some were also collected as Lost Worlds Vols 1 and 2 (LW1 and LW2):

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• "The Last Incantation" — Weird Tales, June 1930 LW2
• "A Voyage to Sfanomoe" — Weird Tales, August 1931 LW2
• "The Tale of Satampra Zeiros" — Weird Tales November 1931 LW2
• "The Door to Saturn — Strange Tales", January 1932 LW2
• "The Planet of the Dead — Weird Tales", March 1932 LW2
• "The Gorgon — Weird Tales", April 1932 LW2
• "The Letter from Mohaun Los" (under the title of "Flight into Super-Time") — Wonder Stories, August 1932 LW1
• "The Empire of the Necromancers" — Weird Tales, September 1932 LW1
• "The Hunters from Beyond" — Strange Tales, October 1932 LW1
• "The Isle of the Torturers" — Weird Tales, March 1933 LW1
• "The Light from Beyond" — Wonder Stories, April 1933 LW1
• "The Beast of Averoigne" — Weird Tales, May 1933 LW1
• "The Holiness of Azedarac" — Weird Tales, November 1933 LW1
• "The Demon Of the Flower" — Astounding Stories, December 1933 LW2
• "The Death of Malygris" — Weird Tales, April 1934 LW2
• "The Plutonium Drug" — Amazing Stories, September 1934 LW2
• "The Seven Geases" — Weird Tales, October 1934 LW2
• "Xeethra" — Weird Tales, December 1934 LW1
• "The Flower-Women" — Weird Tales, May 1935 LW2
• "The Treader of the Dust" — Weird Tales, August 1935 LW1
• "Necromancy in Naat" — Weird Tales, July 1936 LW1
• "The Maze of Maal Dweb" — Weird Tales, October 1938 LW2
• "The Coming of the White Worm" — Stirring Science Stories, April 1941 LW2

Sculpture: 1935-1961

By this time his interest in writing fiction began to lessen and he turned to creating sculptures from soft rock.

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