Clark Ashton Smith

Born in Long Valley, California, Clark Ashton Smith was largely self-educated, devouring the works of Poe, Baudelaire, and the Symbolists. He began his career as a poet, earning praise from Ambrose Bierce, before turning to prose fiction in the late 1920s. Writing primarily for Weird Tales, Smith produced hundreds of short stories set in invented realms such as the prehistoric Hyperborea, the medieval Averoigne, and the far-future Zothique. His style is noted for its ornate, lyrical language and dark, often macabre imagination. Though less famous than Lovecraft or Robert E. Howard, Smith is considered a foundational figure in cosmic horror and fantasy. His complete short fiction, collected in volumes like The Dark Eidolon, continues to influence writers of speculative fiction.