[Bear_in_RoseBear]

I've read elsewhere that CSL and JRRT were unhappy with the state of "fantasy" stories at the time: Golden Age science fiction, ERB's Tarzan stories, etc. Basically, they both felt that the stories being published at the time were failing to live up to the potential of "fantasy" stories, all that sub-creation stuff that JRRT was always on about. Anyway, they decided that they could do better, and the challenge for one to write a space travel story and one a time travel story was the result of their discussion.

CSL wrote "Out of the Silent Planet" to fulfill his end of the challenge.

[Fedora]

I've read elsewhere that CSL and JRRT were unhappy with the state of "fantasy" stories at the time: Golden Age science fiction, ERB's Tarzan stories, etc. Basically, they both felt that the stories being published at the time were failing to live up to the potential of "fantasy" stories, all that sub-creation stuff that JRRT was always on about.

I'd like to hear more about what they said about that--do you remember where you read that? I'm very interested in Tolkien's sub-creator theory.

BTW, speaking of Tolkien's views on the Golden Age of SF/fantasy, a friend of mine once mentioned to me that Tolkien read Weird Tales and was aware of Robert E. Howard's work, which surprised me at the time but makes sense in retrospect, and would fit with what you mention above. Have you ever heard anything about that? When I look at Howard's map of his world and read his historical essay on it, "The Hyborian Age", I see definite parallels with Tolkien.