Browne Popular Culture Library

Introduction | Biographical Sketch | Scope and Content | Series Description | Inventory

Introduction

Karl Edward Wagner is best known as a writer of fantasy and horror and also as an editor for anthologies in these genres. The collection reflects both aspects of his work. This material was donated by Gary Hoppenstand in December 2010 and forms part of the Gary Hoppenstand Adventure Fiction Collection. The collection has no restrictions placed upon its’ use for scholarly purposes. Researchers are responsible for securing copyright permission when duplicating any unpublished or published works included in the collection.

Biography

Karl  Edward Wagner was born in 1945 in Knoxville, TN. He graduated from Kenyon College with a history degree in 1967. He then attended the medical program at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. He briefly practiced as a psychiatrist, but then turned to writing as a career. He first published “Darkness Weaves with Many Shades” in 1978 and then went on to publish and edit close to 40 books.

He edited three volumes of Robert E. Howard’s original stories (delighting purists by restoring the texts to their original published form). He set some of his own work in Howard’s universe,  creating his own pre-historical hero Kane. He also wrote contemporary horror stories.

He edited many horror and fantasy anthologies. In 1980 he took over editing The Year’s Best Horror Stories. Through his editorial work, he helped redefine the modern horror short story. He died in 1994 from  a combination of a tick bite and alcoholism.

The finding aid was prepared by Nancy Down in July 2011.

Scope and Content

The Wagner collection consists of the edited manuscripts for Why Not You and I? and for The Year’s Best Horror Stories:  XXVII  and  XX. Also included are the correspondences from the contributors to The Year’s Best Horror Stories: XXII (the last anthology published in the series). Typescript s of More Sinned Against and “Midnight Train to Providence” (a review of H. R. Lovecraft’s “He”) form part of the collection. The Karl Edward Wagner Miscellanea includes photocopies of his column from Fantasy Newsletter (1980-1987) and various other writings by or about the author.

Inventory

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