Howard dislikes Lovecraft's propensity to use big words and talk in circles just as much as Lovecraft disdains Howard's blunt, straightforward manner of speech. The pair disagree on seemingly every aspect of life, but at the same time they have a great deal in common. He's frail, frugal, eccentric and prefers to use his brain to get out of a jam, just like most of his heroes. Howard takes on many of the traits of his legendary hero Conan. He cuts an imposing figure and tends to leap into the fray and consider the consequences later.
Glory is an even more interesting character.
While the characters of Howard and Lovecraft are based on real people and Barbour and Raleigh did use L. Sprague de Camp's biographies for many of the details, they are still mostly fictional. Still, I'd like to believe the two writers I admire were at least a little like these two eccentric characters. Buy Shadows Bend. Return to main page.