{"id":1915,"date":"2016-05-11T09:50:08","date_gmt":"2016-05-11T09:50:08","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/?p=1915"},"modified":"2016-05-30T10:59:51","modified_gmt":"2016-05-30T10:59:51","slug":"the-emperor-of-dreams-clark-ashton-smith","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/greydogtales.com\/blog\/the-emperor-of-dreams-clark-ashton-smith\/","title":{"rendered":"The Emperor of Dreams: Clark Ashton Smith"},"content":{"rendered":"

Clark Ashton Smith<\/strong><\/span> was not a lurcher. And this post was supposed to be about our horde of little donkeys, but we came across something which needed a mention at the right time. Which is around now. As great enthusiasts of Smith’s weird fiction, we spotted plans by film-maker Darin Coelho Spring<\/strong> to make the very first biographical film covering Smith’s life and work. What a good idea, we thought. So in the hope of drumming up support, we invited Darin to call in and say a few words.<\/p>\n

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We should have an introduction to Smith himself first, but we’ll keep it short, because the best thing to do is to read his works, many of which are available new or second-hand.<\/p>\n

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Clark Ashton Smith<\/strong> (1893-1961) was born in California, self-educated, and by the age of seventeen was already selling stories to magazines. He was very well-read and a prolific writer of both poetry and prose. His influences varied from Lord Dunsany<\/strong> to Helena Blavatsky<\/strong> (co-founder of the Theosophical Society) and the Arabian Nights<\/em>, and as a result he produced many truly original stories of lost worlds, tales of lands which never were, which also echo legends of Atlantis and pre-history.<\/p>\n

Some of his more sorcerous tales might be said to foreshadow the Dying Earth<\/em> series of Jack Vance<\/strong>. The language and names he used were rich and poetic, evoking matters on the edge of comprehension, and yet his stories remain surprisingly accessible as well.<\/p>\n

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Our own favourite is his land of Averoigne, less fantastical than the others but just as eerie, which has the feel of medieval France with its dark forests and isolated taverns. We’ve talked before about our love for stories like The Colossus of Ylourgne<\/em> (see\u00a0twelve tales which linger<\/a>). Here’s an Averoigne tale on audio from Ghastly Tales<\/em>, for you to get the feel.<\/p>\n