Barbarians on the Plains

CNN has a nice article about a festival honoring Robert E. Howard, the creator of Conan the Barbarian. It’s an interesting glimpse into the man’s life in a small Texas town. “Cross Plains hasn’t always embraced its most famous native son, sometimes called ‘crazy’ for his wild tales, talking to himself and sometimes pretending to box while walking down the street,” the article explains. “Those negative feelings intensified for some when he committed suicide at age 30 after learning that his ailing mother would not awaken from her coma.”

Let that be a lesson for you. Although you might be the “weird guy” in town now, after you die, and your works become famous, your neighbors will be glad to accept cash from adoring fans. “Fans like to see where a writer worked,” said one admirer. “The first time I came here, there were no exotic jungles, and I thought how little he had to work with, but now I’ve come to see how he took certain things and used his imagination.”