Robert E. Howard

I recently stumbled upon a film I have never seen before. It was titled “The Whole Wide World” and it was made in 1996. The reason I wanted to watch this movie was because it starred Vincent D’Onofrio, one of my favorite actors. As I watched the movie I learned it was based on a real person who lived in Texas in the 1930s. The person the movie was about happened to be a writer and a complex individual. As I watched the movie I could not help but feel some sort of connection to this poor soul. His name was Robert E. Howard and he was a pulp writer in a time when it was not seen as conventional as it might be now.

The movie was inspired by a book written by someone who knew Robert E. Howard personally, named Novalyne Price. I’m never really sure how accurate movies are when they are based on real people but the fact that it came from someone who was close to Robert Howard made me feel that it was as close as we would ever get. I’m not going to lie, the movie got to me. I have watched it three times now and each time I end up crying. I cry in part because I feel as if I know how Robert Howard must have felt back in that time. There are so many things happening in the movie and things said that hurt me deeply. I find it interesting that around 90 years ago there existed another human being struggling with the same things I struggle with today. Not too sure if that makes me feel better or worse.

The more I watch the film, the more I identify with Robert. I also feel bad for Novalyne and I am reminded of those people around whom I have hurt like he did. Some of the times I watched it I tried to focus more on his writing and the way that he worked, but I couldn’t help but notice how except for his career, everything else in his life seemed a bit stunted. I don’t know why this is so common among writers/artists. It is almost like an unspoken rule that if you are an artist there will be something lacking in your life. Watching the character suffer on the screen was gut wrenching and felt so close to my own suffering. There was really no need for him to suffer or make others suffer but I know first hand how incapable we can feel at times. I understand why he would rather sever ties than try to become someone he was not.

I don’t want to give any spoilers in case anyone wants to watch it for the first time like I did. It’s such a unique film and I’m glad that when they made it they didn’t try to sugarcoat anything. There are so many writers I look up to and admire but I do feel a bit bad for the personal troubles many of them write about. Why is it that some writers seem doomed to suffer while at the same time creating beautiful work? It’s kind of like song writers that come up with their best work when they are in extreme pain. Does this mean that when we are in pain there is some secret access to creation? Robert certainly was in pain and his creativity was off the charts.

I absolutely loved the film and can’t believe I barely found it. I’m a big fan of 80s and 90s movies and anything with Vincent D’Onofrio, so I can’t believe I never heard of this movie. It is a hidden gem for sure. I feel for Robert, and it has impacted me in a somewhat cathartic way. While I admire him I also feel like his life can be a cautionary tale. As I watched him I was looking at myself and realizing that there are always choices to be made. It is up to me to choose carefully of course.