Clark Ashton Smith: poet and weird-fiction author

Clark Ashton Smith (1893-1961) is the last of the Weird Tales triumvirate that included H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard.

CAS is known as a poet, weird-fiction author, and artist over his lifetime, and he was part of the “Lovecraft Circle,” corresponding with the author for years. But sadly, his time writing fiction was short, about 10 years. It ended after he suffered several tragedies: the death of his parents (1935 and ’37), and then the deaths of REH (1936) and HPL (1937). After that, he’d turn back to poetry and sculpture. What might he have created had he continued?

He was born in California, but due to several issues, including psychological, had little formal education. But he had an eidetic memory and was self-taught. He even taught himself French and Spanish to be able to read verse from those languages, and he translated his own poetry to those languages. He was writing prose and poetry from an early age but focused more on poetry. This led to his first published book at 19, The Star-Treader and Other Poems.

Around 1922 he “met” Lovecraft via correspondence, which they kept up for years. It was a little later during the Depression that he focused more on fiction writing to earn a living, as his parents were ailing. Most of his stories fell into one of several “cycles,” each in a different location: Hyberborea, Poseidonis, Averoigne, Zothique, Mars, Xiccarph etc.

Hyperborea was a lost continent in the Arctic, and Poseidonis was a remnant of Atlantis, and both were places where magic exists, along with various horrors and cruelties. Averoigne was his version of a pre-modern France, again with magic. Zothique was the last continent of a dying Earth. Mars is, of course, the planet Mars. And Xiccarph was an invented planet.

As regards to his Lovecraftian works, CAS contributed Tsathoggua, the Toad God, along with Aforgomon, Rlim-Shaikorth, Mordiggian, and the Book of Eibon.

As noted, he stopped writing prose around 1937. He returned to poetry and did both sculptures and paintings. I’ve seen pictures of his sculptures, strange figures in soapstone and other stone. I don’t think I’ve ever seen his paintings or drawings. August Derleth and Donald Wandrei established Arkham House, and among others published several collections of his poetry and prose. All are long out of print and collector’s items.

For those wanting to read his works, there are several options. If you want just the best of his work, get the volume from Penguin Books, which is edited and has an intro by S.T. Joshi: The Dark Eidolon and Other Fantasies (2014).

If you’re interested in his works that more fit into the Cthulhu Mythos, get the volume from Chaosium The Klarkash-Ton Cycle: The Lovecraftian Fiction of Clark Ashton Smith (2008) edited by Robert Price. Related volumes that may be interesting are The Tsathoggua Cycle: Terror Tales of the Toad God (2004) and The Book of Eibon (2006), both edited by Price, which has stories dealing with these creations of CAS by CAS and others. And if you want just certain cycles, Hippocampus Press has volumes for Averoigne and Zothique, so far. Otherwise you’ll have to get old collections like the ones Necronomicon Press put out or the volumes in the Ballantine Adult Fantasy series.

Now, if you want everything, get the five-volume set from Nightshade Books: The Collected Fantasies of Clark Ashton Smith, along with the Miscellaneous Writings volume.

As I noted that CAS, like many in the Lovecraft Circle, corresponded heavily, there are several letter collections available from Hippocampus Press. There is a two-volume set of just the letters between HLP and CAS, and volumes of correspondence with others. They also have a documentary on him, The Emperor of Dreams. (there is a preview on YouTube). And if you want his poetry, they have a three-volume collection of all of it.

For other medium, I am only aware of a trio of his stories being done in comics by Richard Corben in his DenSaga comics. There have been some adaptions into TV, but only a few such as “The Return of the Sorcerer” being adapted for an episode of the Night Gallery, starring Vincent Price and Bill Bixby.

But he is an interesting author, and more people should check him out.