DIY History | Transcribe | Hevelin Fanzines | Acolyte, vol 1, issue 3, whole 3, Spring 1943

Transcribe
Translate

Acolyte, vol 1, issue 3, whole 3, Spring 1943

Page 2

living weird and fantasy author. The Acolyte is proud and happy to present the previous unpublished sonnet, "The Mime of Sleep".

PROSE PASTELS, a series of Baudelairesque prose poems by Clark Ashton Smith, will be featured in the next issue of the Acolyte. These originally appeared in the Fantasy Fan in 1934, by Mr. Smith has not only given us full permission to reprint them, but has promised us other previously unpublished Pastels.

CLARK ASHTON SMITH in a mimeographed, amateur sheet is a scathing indictment of professional magazines. The best, most original, and most artistic output of our greatest fantaisistes has no chance with the pulps---often is never even written---for the simple reason that material accepted by any prozine must be "slanted" directly for that particular editor, and must conform to a whole host of iron-clad rules. The end product of this type of editing is a magazine whose originality and vigor are largely crushed out.

IN THE EARLY DAYS of science-fiction and fantasy, rules played a surprisingly minor part. Anyone who has read the first three years of Amazing, or the Farnsworth Wright Weird Tales, or a reasonably complete cross-section of fantasy from the old Argosy cannot have failed to notice the wide variety of subject-matter, plot, and approach in those pioneer days. There is hackwork of course; but the very fact that the sky was the limit, that straight formula stuff was largely unknown (due to the lack of any precedents to construct a formula by) makes even the hackwork refreshing reading in these stereotyped times.

THE ACOLYTE GANG particularly wishes to bring to your attention the paragraphs in "Cracks--" by Harry Warner and Lilith Lorraine. Warner's essay-in-miniature is one of the solidest bits we've seen for a long time; while Miss Lorraine's projected magazine is something which should make all die-hard fantasy fans slaver with joy. 

MENTION OF MISS LORRAINE reminds me to recommend to you her latest volume of verse, Beyond Bewilderment. While the bulk of it is non-fantasy, there are a number of very fine fantastic and weird verses scattered through it. She is at present working on another volume (her fourth) called The Day Before Judgement, which will be entirely weird, stf, and fantastic verse. This is certain to be a "Must-Have" item for all fantasy collectors, and we will keep you posted on the publication date. 

AUGUST DERLETH HAS KINDLY GIVEN The Acolyte blanket permission to use anything by Lovecraft, provided we can also get permission from the original publishers. This will mean that you folks will get to read a vast amount of little-known Lovecraft in the very near future---perhaps even an all-Lovecraft issue.

Saving...

living weird and fantasy author. The Acolyte is proud and happy to present the previous unpublished sonnet, "The Mime of Sleep". PROSE PASTELS, a series of Baudelairesque prose poems by Clark Ashton Smith, will be featured in the next issue of the Acolyte. These originally appeared in the Fantasy Fan in 1934, by Mr. Smith has not only given us full permission to reprint them, but has promised us other previously unpublished Pastels. CLARK ASHTON SMITH in a mimeographed, amateur sheet is a scathing indictment of professional magazines. The best, most original, and most artistic output of our greatest fantaisistes has no chance with the pulps---often is never even written---for the simple reason that material accepted by any prozine must be "slanted" directly for that particular editor, and must conform to a whole host of iron-clad rules. The end product of this type of editing is a magazine whose originality and vigor are largely crushed out. IN THE EARLY DAYS of science-fiction and fantasy, rules played a surprisingly minor part. Anyone who has read the first three years of Amazing, or the Farnsworth Wright Weird Tales, or a reasonably complete cross-section of fantasy from the old Argosy cannot have failed to notice the wide variety of subject-matter, plot, and approach in those pioneer days. There is hackwork of course; but the very fact that the sky was the limit, that straight formula stuff was largely unknown (due to the lack of any precedents to construct a formula by) makes even the hackwork refreshing reading in these stereotyped times. THE ACOLYTE GANG particularly wishes to bring to your attention the paragraphs in "Cracks--" by Harry Warner and Lilith Lorraine. Warner's essay-in-miniature is one of the solidest bits we've seen for a long time; while Miss Lorraine's projected magazine is something which should make all die-hard fantasy fans slaver with joy. MENTION OF MISS LORRAINE reminds me to recommend to you her latest volume of verse, Beyond Bewilderment. While the bulk of it is non-fantasy, there are a number of very fine fantastic and weird verses scattered through it. She is at present working on another volume (her fourth) called The Day Before Judgement, which will be entirely weird, stf, and fantastic verse. This is certain to be a "Must-Have" item for all fantasy collectors, and we will keep you posted on the publication date. AUGUST DERLETH HAS KINDLY GIVEN The Acolyte blanket permission to use anything by Lovecraft, provided we can also get permission from the original publishers. This will mean that you folks will get to read a vast amount of little-known Lovecraft in the very near future---perhaps even an all-Lovecraft issue.