I do believe these past few years alone there has been a lot more scholarly work done on Barlow. Two of the books I cited, both of which cover Barlow’s correspondes, came out late last year and are absolutely packed with info. I am optimistic he will garner a lot more interest these upcoming years.
I've only learned of it now thanks to this post, but what happened to Barlow is an outrage. It really is a tragedy. I can't help but try to find something poetic in that he studied Mesoamerican cultures, a study that suffers from the deliberate destruction of manuscripts, and is responsible for preserving a manuscript that was thought lost.
It’s infuriating what happened to Barlow. He was a much more talented cosmic horror author than Derleth (whose Cthulhu Mythos fiction I will be discussing further in Part II). I truly believe if Derleth hadn’t slandered him, he would have become an icon of weird fiction horror. If Lovecraft thinks you’re the crème de la crème at only 16 years old, then you know you’re truly one-of-a-kind.
Also your comparison to his life and Mesoamerican culture was fascinating. What’s even sadder is that he was deeply hailed for his work in early Mexican history, and his suicide not only took the life of somebody so brilliant, but also the knowledge he bestowed upon his students. He is actually relatively well-known in the Indigenous Mesoamerican Studies academic circle, which makes me happy. At least he could leave a legacy somewhere.
I know you had mentioned that your research had a lot of rabbit holes but wow! This is so fascinating how much information you dug up and condensed for this topic! I'm really excited to see what else you've found in the coming installments, I always feel like I learn something new about HPL and his friends every time his name comes up.
It’s truly amazing just how deep the rabbit hole goes on this topic, it’s nowhere near cut-and-dry like a bunch of nerds just discovering him and promoting his works. It’s fascinating stuff. I’m looking forward to sharing Part II.
Fascinating thank you!
So interesting to read about Robert Barlow. Such an intriguing character - someone should write a novel or make a film about his life.
I do believe these past few years alone there has been a lot more scholarly work done on Barlow. Two of the books I cited, both of which cover Barlow’s correspondes, came out late last year and are absolutely packed with info. I am optimistic he will garner a lot more interest these upcoming years.
Great to hear that ✨️
I've only learned of it now thanks to this post, but what happened to Barlow is an outrage. It really is a tragedy. I can't help but try to find something poetic in that he studied Mesoamerican cultures, a study that suffers from the deliberate destruction of manuscripts, and is responsible for preserving a manuscript that was thought lost.
It’s infuriating what happened to Barlow. He was a much more talented cosmic horror author than Derleth (whose Cthulhu Mythos fiction I will be discussing further in Part II). I truly believe if Derleth hadn’t slandered him, he would have become an icon of weird fiction horror. If Lovecraft thinks you’re the crème de la crème at only 16 years old, then you know you’re truly one-of-a-kind.
Also your comparison to his life and Mesoamerican culture was fascinating. What’s even sadder is that he was deeply hailed for his work in early Mexican history, and his suicide not only took the life of somebody so brilliant, but also the knowledge he bestowed upon his students. He is actually relatively well-known in the Indigenous Mesoamerican Studies academic circle, which makes me happy. At least he could leave a legacy somewhere.
This is fascinating! I am keen to read part two and learn more.
Thank you so much for the support!! So glad you enjoyed it 😊. I’m hoping to have Part II up in the next couple weeks. We shall see…
I know you had mentioned that your research had a lot of rabbit holes but wow! This is so fascinating how much information you dug up and condensed for this topic! I'm really excited to see what else you've found in the coming installments, I always feel like I learn something new about HPL and his friends every time his name comes up.
It’s truly amazing just how deep the rabbit hole goes on this topic, it’s nowhere near cut-and-dry like a bunch of nerds just discovering him and promoting his works. It’s fascinating stuff. I’m looking forward to sharing Part II.
Another excellent entry in this series!
His obituary wasn't really up to much was it?!
That collaborative story sounds hilarious lol
I have a friend that is a massive fan of HPL, but says Robert E Howard has the pulp writer throne!!
August Derleth sounds absolutely detestable as well