Otis Adelbert Kline
Encyclopedia
Otis Adelbert Kline born in Chicago, Illinois, USA, was an adventure novelist and literary agent during the pulp era. Much of his work first appeared in the magazine Weird Tales
. Kline was an amateur orientalist and a student of Arabic, like his friend and sometime collaborator, E. Hoffmann Price.
Kline is best known for an apocryphal literary feud with fellow author Edgar Rice Burroughs
, in which he supposedly raised the latter's ire by producing close imitations (Planet of Peril (1929) and two sequels) of Burroughs's Martian
novels, though set on Venus
; Burroughs, the story goes, then retaliated by writing his own Venus novels
, whereupon Kline responded with an even more direct intrusion on Burroughs's territory by boldly setting two novels on Mars. Kline's jungle adventure stories, reminiscent of Burroughs's Tarzan
tales, have also been cited as evidence of the conflict.http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0036.html While the two authors did write the works in question, the theory that they did so in contention with each other is supported only circumstantially, by the resemblance and publication dates of the works themselves. The feud theory was originally set forth in a fan press article, "The Kline-Burroughs War," by Donald A. Wollheim
(Science Fiction News, November, 1936), and afterward given wider circulation by Sam Moskowitz
in his book Explorers of the Infinite. Richard A. Lupoff
debunked the case in his book Edgar Rice Burroughs: Master of Adventure
. Among the evidence cited by Lupoff discounting the feud: (1) no comment from either writer acknowledging the feud is documented, and (2) family members of the two authors have no recollection of ever hearing them mention it. In response to Lupoff's investigations Moskowitz identified his original source as Wollheim's article, while Wollheim stated, when questioned on the source of his own information: "I made it up!"
, pioneer sword and sorcery
writer and creator of Conan the Barbarian
). Kline represented Howard from the Spring of 1933 till Howard's death in June 1936, and continued to act as literary agent for Howard's estate thereafter. It has been suggested that Kline may have completed Howard's "planetary romance" Almuric
, which he submitted to Weird Tales
for posthumous publication in 1939,http://www.pulpanddagger.com/conan/almuric.html although this claim is disputed.http://www.conan.com/invboard/index.php?s=&showtopic=4353&view=findpost&p=67626
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
. Kline was an amateur orientalist and a student of Arabic, like his friend and sometime collaborator, E. Hoffmann Price.
Kline and Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was an American author, best known for his creation of the jungle hero Tarzan and the heroic Mars adventurer John Carter, although he produced works in many genres.-Biography:...
, in which he supposedly raised the latter's ire by producing close imitations (Planet of Peril (1929) and two sequels) of Burroughs's Martian
Barsoom
Barsoom is a fictional representation of the planet Mars created by American pulp fiction author Edgar Rice Burroughs, who wrote close to 100 action adventure stories in various genres in the first half of the 20th century, and is now best known as the creator of the character Tarzan...
novels, though set on Venus
Venus
Venus is the second planet from the Sun, orbiting it every 224.7 Earth days. The planet is named after Venus, the Roman goddess of love and beauty. After the Moon, it is the brightest natural object in the night sky, reaching an apparent magnitude of −4.6, bright enough to cast shadows...
; Burroughs, the story goes, then retaliated by writing his own Venus novels
Venus series
The Venus Series by Edgar Rice Burroughs is a science fiction series consisting of four novels and one novelette. Most of the stories were first serialized in Argosy, an American pulp magazine. It is sometimes known as the Carson Napier of Venus Series, after their fictional main character, Carson...
, whereupon Kline responded with an even more direct intrusion on Burroughs's territory by boldly setting two novels on Mars. Kline's jungle adventure stories, reminiscent of Burroughs's Tarzan
Tarzan
Tarzan is a fictional character, an archetypal feral child raised in the African jungles by the Mangani "great apes"; he later experiences civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer...
tales, have also been cited as evidence of the conflict.http://www.erbzine.com/mag0/0036.html While the two authors did write the works in question, the theory that they did so in contention with each other is supported only circumstantially, by the resemblance and publication dates of the works themselves. The feud theory was originally set forth in a fan press article, "The Kline-Burroughs War," by Donald A. Wollheim
Donald A. Wollheim
Donald Allen Wollheim was an American science fiction ' editor, publisher, writer, and fan. As an author, he published under his own name as well as under pseudonyms, including David Grinnell....
(Science Fiction News, November, 1936), and afterward given wider circulation by Sam Moskowitz
Sam Moskowitz
Sam Moskowitz was an early fan and organizer of interest in science fiction and, later, a writer, critic, and historian of the field.-Biography:...
in his book Explorers of the Infinite. Richard A. Lupoff
Richard A. Lupoff
Richard Allen Lupoff is an American science fiction and mystery author, who has also written humor, satire, non-fiction and reviews. In addition to his two dozen novels and more than 40 short stories, he has also edited science-fantasy anthologies. He is an expert on the writing of Edgar Rice...
debunked the case in his book Edgar Rice Burroughs: Master of Adventure
Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Master of Adventure: The Worlds of Edgar Rice Burroughs is a book by Richard A. Lupoff that explores the work of Edgar Rice Burroughs, the creator of Tarzan and author of numerous science fiction, fantasy, and adventure novels...
. Among the evidence cited by Lupoff discounting the feud: (1) no comment from either writer acknowledging the feud is documented, and (2) family members of the two authors have no recollection of ever hearing them mention it. In response to Lupoff's investigations Moskowitz identified his original source as Wollheim's article, while Wollheim stated, when questioned on the source of his own information: "I made it up!"
Literary agent
In the mid-1930s Kline largely abandoned writing to concentrate on his career as a literary agent (most famously for fellow Weird Tales author Robert E. HowardRobert E. Howard
Robert Ervin Howard was an American author who wrote pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. Best known for his character Conan the Barbarian, he is regarded as the father of the sword and sorcery subgenre....
, pioneer sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery
Sword and sorcery is a sub-genre of fantasy and historical fantasy, generally characterized by sword-wielding heroes engaged in exciting and violent conflicts. An element of romance is often present, as is an element of magic and the supernatural...
writer and creator of Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian
Conan the Barbarian is a fictional sword and sorcery hero that originated in pulp fiction magazines and has since been adapted to books, comics, several films , television programs, video games, roleplaying games and other media...
). Kline represented Howard from the Spring of 1933 till Howard's death in June 1936, and continued to act as literary agent for Howard's estate thereafter. It has been suggested that Kline may have completed Howard's "planetary romance" Almuric
Almuric
Almuric is a science fiction novel by Robert E. Howard. It was originally serialized in three parts in the magazine Weird Tales beginning in May 1939...
, which he submitted to Weird Tales
Weird Tales
Weird Tales is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine first published in March 1923. It ceased its original run in September 1954, after 279 issues, but has since been revived. The magazine was set up in Chicago by J. C. Henneberger, an ex-journalist with a taste for the macabre....
for posthumous publication in 1939,http://www.pulpanddagger.com/conan/almuric.html although this claim is disputed.http://www.conan.com/invboard/index.php?s=&showtopic=4353&view=findpost&p=67626
Venus series
- Planet of Peril (1929)
- The Prince of Peril (1930)
- The Port of PerilThe Port of PerilThe Port of Peril is a science fiction novel by Otis Adelbert Kline. It was first published in book form in 1949 by The Grandon Company in an edition of 3,000 copies...
(1932)
Other novels and stories
- "Secret Kingdom," Amazing StoriesAmazing StoriesAmazing Stories was an American science fiction magazine launched in April 1926 by Hugo Gernsback's Experimenter Publishing. It was the first magazine devoted solely to science fiction...
(November 1929) - Maza of the MoonMaza of the MoonMaza of the Moon is a science fiction novel by Otis Adelbert Kline. It was first published in book form in 1930 by A C McClurg & Co. The novel was originally serialized in four parts in the magazine Argosy beginning in December, 1929....
(1930) - "The Man Who Limped," Oriental StoriesOriental StoriesOriental Stories, later retitled The Magic Carpet Magazine, was a pulp magazine of 1930-34, an offshoot of the famous Weird Tales....
(October 1930) - "Spawn of the Comet," Argosy (12 July 1930)
- The Call of the SavageThe Call of the SavageThe Call of the Savage is a Universal movie serial based on the story Jan of the Jungle by Otis Adelbert Kline.-Production:Call of the Savage features "Jan, the Jungle Boy" and was based on "Jan of the Jungle" by Otis Adelbert Kline, a successful pulp story which rivalled the Tarzan series.In 1956...
, or Jan of the Jungle (1931) - "The Thing That Walked in the Rain," Amazing Stories (March 1931)
- "The Dragoman's Secret," Oriental StoriesOriental StoriesOriental Stories, later retitled The Magic Carpet Magazine, was a pulp magazine of 1930-34, an offshoot of the famous Weird Tales....
(Spring 1931) - "The Fang of Amm Jemel," Argosy (9 March 1935)
- "The Murder RoomThe Murder RoomThe Murder Room is a 2003 detective novel and the 12th in the Adam Dalgliesh series by P. D. James. It takes place in London, particularly the Dupayne Museum on the edge of Hampstead Heath in the London Borough of Camden....
," New Detective (May 1935) - Jan in India (1935)
- "The Iron World," Thrilling Wonder Stories (August 1938)
- "Stolen Centuries," Thrilling Wonder Stories (June 1939)
- Satans on Saturn, 5-part serial, Argosy (November 1940), with E. Hoffmann Price
- "Meteor Men of Mars," Planet StoriesPlanet StoriesPlanet Stories was an American pulp science fiction magazine, published by Fiction House between 1939 and 1955. It featured interplanetary adventures, both in space and on other planets, and was initially focused on a young readership. Malcolm Reiss was editor or editor-in-chief for all of its 71...
(Winter 1942), with Harry Cord
Weird Tales stories
- "The Thing of a Thousand Shapes" 2-part serial (March/April 1923)
- "The Phantom Wolfhound" (June 1923)
- "The Corpse on the Third Slab" 2-part serial (July/August 1923)
- "The Cup of Blood" (September 1923)
- "The Malignant Entity" 3-part serial (May/July 1924)
- "The Phantom Rider" (November 1924)
- "The Bride of Osiris" 3-part serial (August/October 1927)
- "The Demon of Tlaxpam" (January 1929)
- "The Bird-People" (January 1930)
- "Thirsty Blade" (February 1930), with E. Hoffmann Price
- "Tam, Son of the Tiger" 6-part serial (June/December 1931)
- "Midnight MadnessMidnight MadnessMidnight Madness is a 1980 comedy film produced by Walt Disney Productions and starring David Naughton, Stephen Furst and Maggie Roswell. The film is about a group of college students who participate in an all night puzzle solving race. It is Michael J...
" (April 1932) - "Lord of the Lamia" 3-part serial (March/May 1935)
- "The Cyclops of Xoatl" (December 1936), with E. Hoffmann Price
- "Spotted Satan" (January 1940), with E. Hoffmann Price
- "Return of the Dead" (July 1943), with Frank Belknap LongFrank Belknap LongFrank Belknap Long was a prolific American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best known for his horror and science fiction short stories, including early contributions to...
Collections
- The Man Who Limped and Other Stories (1946)
- The Dragoman's Revenge (2007)