| Re: Robert E. Howard's Conan and racism
I'm sensitive to racism in older lit I might enjoy because of my background.
Howard is one of writers I enjoy reading most and racism is the last reason people don't read him. He has prejudices like any pulp author who wrote for old American readers who wanted their villains to be black savages or Asian stereotypes villains. His Conan stories has many black savage villains and few stories Conan saves the white dame from middle eastern,black barbarian. I don't call that racism since that's hero thing that happens in western fiction today.
I just finished reading and enjoying his Solomon Kane stories and half was set in historical African setting of slave era but Not omg racism! People make you believe these things because they think he was a southern man who must be like the rednecks they see in fillms. Not a writer who was more interested about making barbarians his heroes,characters no matter their skin color.
His weird westerns set contemporary south have more troubling racist issues because they are about whites,blacks,hate. Not hate from the writer.
Simple see for yourself and forget the myths,rumors. |