The title of this post is the title of a 1996 film about the life -- or some of the life -- of pulp writer Robert E. Howard, perhaps best known as the man who breathed life into Conan the Barbarian. He wrote considerably more than that; in fact, he wrote quite a lot, especially for a man who took an early exit.
Howard's own story is altogether too complex to cover in a blog post. The Whole Wide World doesn't even try; based on a memoir by Novalyne Price Ellis, who dated him off and on for several years prior to his death, it's a fascinating look at the writer at the peak and abrupt end of his career. Well-written, the brilliant Vincent D'onofrio sinks right into the character of Howard and Renee Zellweger seems equally at home as Ms. Price.
It's a relatively understated film but has considerable emotional impact. Unless your taste in movies runs to nothing but, well, barbarian swordsmen and fighting sailors, you might like it, too.
One of my favorites of his is the Breckinridge Elkins series of short stories. They are compiled in a single novel by the name of A Gent from Bear Creek, and it can be downloaded free at Gutenberg and other sites. It is hilarious to read.
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