Robert E.Howard's Views on the Russians and Russia
Sept 14, 2016 23:54:31 GMT -5
Post by deuce on Sept 14, 2016 23:54:31 GMT -5
THIS THREAD IS FOR DISCUSSION OF ROBERT E. HOWARD'S VIEWS ABOUT RUSSIA/RUSSIANS. ANY COMMENTS REGARDING RUSSIA AND "POLITICS" NOT DIRECTLY PERTINENT TO HOWARD'S VIEWS WILL BE REMOVED.
Over the years, quite a few people have asked me what REH thought of Russians. Actually, many of them simply tried to tell me what they felt Howard thought about Russians. Actual quotes from REH should clear things up, hopefully.
Robert E. Howard didn't have a glowing opinion in general of several "ethnic" groups. Kansans, Tuaregs, Romans, Germans etc... However, he nearly always tempered this by positive portrayals of individuals. While he might not approve of a culture overall, he nearly always found individuals (whether in real life or fiction) that he did like.
The Russians are a case in point. We never see REH praise Russia nor Russians en masse. However, the quotes below demonstrate that REH did not damn Russia/Russians indiscriminately. Keep that in mind. These quotes were easy to come by on the 'Net. Later posts will focus on Howard's mentions of Russians (and Slavs in general) in his fiction and letters. REH did so quite a bit, and most references were not complimentary.
*NOTE: I hold no animosity toward the Russian people. IMO, they've been dealt a fairly bad hand through the centuries. A good friend of mine has two adopted Russian children. They're awesome.
That said, let's get on with the REH quotes.
REH to Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. 20 February 1928: "I have carefully gone over, in my mind, the most powerful men, that is, in my opinion in all of the world's literature and here is my list: Jack London, Leonid Andreyev, Omar Khayyam, Eugene O'Neill, William Shakespeare."
In untitled scenario (included in REH to Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. week of 20 February 1928): "What is London, what is Gorky, what is Tolstoy to the average man - even the man who reads them? The great writers die and fade into the dust of their works. Their books become their bones and their volumes range the shelves of fools, like withered mummies."
So, here we have REH referring positively to three Russian writers.
[REH reviewing the film Surrender from 1928] "I have just seen "Surrender" and have a few words to say thereon. I do not know whether this is an old picture or not, nor do I give a damn. I wish to review it and I do not consider age or quality. No one is forced to read this if he does not wish to. (...)
The plot is simple -- so simple that one thinks wistfully of the director in connection with a butcher knife. Nigel and Mary are living peacefully in a Jewish-Austrian village when the war starts. They have fled from Russia in response to some vague instinct of self-preservation, and what they think of the Russians is nobody's business. Then Ivan Mosjukins, a Russian prince, leads his Cossacks into the village, and, being in a merry and sportive mood, gives Mary the choice of keeping a bedroom date with him or seeing all her villagers go up in flames. (...)
So the Cossacks imprison all the villagers and start the blowtorches going when Mary changes her mind. Ivan proves to have a noble heart, he makes a few wise cracks about Mary's appearance, ruminates on the strange effect war has on otherwise noble souls, and tells her she can go home. Mary goes into a clinch with him, and he gives her a ring, singing, "Then I'll Come Back To You!" (...)
Nigel will not believe her when she says Ivan was a perfect Galahad, and, knowing something of Russian character, I can't much blame him.
(...)
Skip some years then, and Ivan returns to the village, very socialistic, and hailing all the farm hands as comrade. He and Mary go into a clinch, and that's that.
(...)
A little unconsciously sardonic touch: Nigel shows Ivan a picture portraying a host of Jews being led off to Siberia, and, immediately afterward, as a part of the ritual of Holy Shabbas, thanks God for preserving the life and happiness of the race. Aye -- and the ghettos of Poland and Russia knee deep in Jewish gore."
(BTW, "Ivan" is the name of the actor; the name of the character is "Constantine")
Over the years, quite a few people have asked me what REH thought of Russians. Actually, many of them simply tried to tell me what they felt Howard thought about Russians. Actual quotes from REH should clear things up, hopefully.
Robert E. Howard didn't have a glowing opinion in general of several "ethnic" groups. Kansans, Tuaregs, Romans, Germans etc... However, he nearly always tempered this by positive portrayals of individuals. While he might not approve of a culture overall, he nearly always found individuals (whether in real life or fiction) that he did like.
The Russians are a case in point. We never see REH praise Russia nor Russians en masse. However, the quotes below demonstrate that REH did not damn Russia/Russians indiscriminately. Keep that in mind. These quotes were easy to come by on the 'Net. Later posts will focus on Howard's mentions of Russians (and Slavs in general) in his fiction and letters. REH did so quite a bit, and most references were not complimentary.
*NOTE: I hold no animosity toward the Russian people. IMO, they've been dealt a fairly bad hand through the centuries. A good friend of mine has two adopted Russian children. They're awesome.
That said, let's get on with the REH quotes.
REH to Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. 20 February 1928: "I have carefully gone over, in my mind, the most powerful men, that is, in my opinion in all of the world's literature and here is my list: Jack London, Leonid Andreyev, Omar Khayyam, Eugene O'Neill, William Shakespeare."
In untitled scenario (included in REH to Tevis Clyde Smith, ca. week of 20 February 1928): "What is London, what is Gorky, what is Tolstoy to the average man - even the man who reads them? The great writers die and fade into the dust of their works. Their books become their bones and their volumes range the shelves of fools, like withered mummies."
So, here we have REH referring positively to three Russian writers.
[REH reviewing the film Surrender from 1928] "I have just seen "Surrender" and have a few words to say thereon. I do not know whether this is an old picture or not, nor do I give a damn. I wish to review it and I do not consider age or quality. No one is forced to read this if he does not wish to. (...)
The plot is simple -- so simple that one thinks wistfully of the director in connection with a butcher knife. Nigel and Mary are living peacefully in a Jewish-Austrian village when the war starts. They have fled from Russia in response to some vague instinct of self-preservation, and what they think of the Russians is nobody's business. Then Ivan Mosjukins, a Russian prince, leads his Cossacks into the village, and, being in a merry and sportive mood, gives Mary the choice of keeping a bedroom date with him or seeing all her villagers go up in flames. (...)
So the Cossacks imprison all the villagers and start the blowtorches going when Mary changes her mind. Ivan proves to have a noble heart, he makes a few wise cracks about Mary's appearance, ruminates on the strange effect war has on otherwise noble souls, and tells her she can go home. Mary goes into a clinch with him, and he gives her a ring, singing, "Then I'll Come Back To You!" (...)
Nigel will not believe her when she says Ivan was a perfect Galahad, and, knowing something of Russian character, I can't much blame him.
(...)
Skip some years then, and Ivan returns to the village, very socialistic, and hailing all the farm hands as comrade. He and Mary go into a clinch, and that's that.
(...)
A little unconsciously sardonic touch: Nigel shows Ivan a picture portraying a host of Jews being led off to Siberia, and, immediately afterward, as a part of the ritual of Holy Shabbas, thanks God for preserving the life and happiness of the race. Aye -- and the ghettos of Poland and Russia knee deep in Jewish gore."
(BTW, "Ivan" is the name of the actor; the name of the character is "Constantine")
I wonder how good Howard understood that "Cossacks" and "Russian" is not quite the same thing