Clark Ashton Smith
A cosmic poet of the weird, he painted dying suns and alien decadence with a jeweler's precision and a mystic's dark wonder.
1893–1961 (age 68)·American author·Birthday: January 13·The Lost Generation
Biography
Clark Ashton Smith was a self-educated visionary who conjured entire mythologies from the quiet solitude of a small cabin in Auburn, California. First hailed as a poet in the decadent tradition of Swinburne, he later forged his true legacy in the pulps, alongside his correspondents H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard. Smith's prose was baroque and chilling, his imagination boundless. He created Hyperborea, Zothique, and Averoigne—worlds where sorcery festered and civilizations crumbled under forgotten moons. More an artist of language than a plot-driven storyteller, Smith composed tales that read like exquisite, malevolent tapestries, influencing generations of fantasy and horror writers with his unique blend of poetic horror and cosmic dread.
The Lost Generation
1883–1900
Came of age during World War I. Disillusioned by the carnage, they rejected the certainties of the Victorian era and built modernism from the wreckage — in art, literature, and politics.
Clark was born in 1893, placing them squarely in The Lost Generation. The events that shaped this generation — world wars, depression, and rapid industrialization — shaped the world they entered and the choices available to them.
#1 When Clark Was Born
The biggest hits of 1893
Clark's Life & Times
The world at every milestone
1893Born
World's Columbian Exposition dazzles Chicago
President: Grover Cleveland
1898Started school
Spanish-American War; US emerges as a world power
President: William McKinley
1906Became a teenager
San Francisco earthquake devastates the city
President: Theodore Roosevelt
1909Could drive
Robert Peary claims to reach the North Pole
President: William Howard Taft
1911Could vote
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory fire kills 146 in New York
President: William Howard Taft
1914Turned 21
World War I begins
President: Woodrow Wilson
1923Turned 30
The Great Kanto earthquake devastates Tokyo
President: Calvin Coolidge"Yes! We Have No Bananas" — Billy Jones
1933Turned 40
FDR's New Deal launches; Prohibition ends
Gas: $0.18/galPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"Stormy Weather" — Ethel WatersBest Picture: Cavalcade
1943Turned 50
Allies invade Sicily; Battle of Stalingrad ends
Gas: $0.21/galHome: $3,290Min wage: $0.30/hrPresident: Franklin D. Roosevelt"I've Heard That Song Before" — Harry JamesBest Picture: Casablanca
1953Turned 60
DNA structure discovered by Watson and Crick
Gas: $0.27/galHome: $8,750Min wage: $0.75/hrPresident: Dwight D. Eisenhower"Song from Moulin Rouge" — Percy FaithBest Picture: From Here to Eternity
1961Died at 68
Yuri Gagarin becomes the first human in space
Gas: $0.31/galHome: $12,500Min wage: $1.15/hrPresident: John F. Kennedy"Tossin' and Turnin'" — Bobby LewisBest Picture: West Side Story
Key Achievements
- Published hundreds of stories in pulp magazines like *Weird Tales*, creating iconic fictional settings such as Hyperborea and Zothique.
- Was a central figure in the 'Lovecraft Circle,' a seminal group of writers who defined 20th-century weird fiction.
- Produced a vast body of poetry and hundreds of paintings, drawings, and sculptures, showcasing his multifaceted artistry.
Did You Know?
He wrote much of his early work while working as a fruit picker and woodcutter to support his parents.
Smith taught himself French and Spanish in order to read symbolist poetry in the original languages.
He constructed a small stone cabin, dubbed 'Malheur Lodge,' on his property to serve as his writing studio.
“I should describe my own nature as triple—artist, poet, and dreamer; and in all three, I am a mystic.”
