The Character of Robert W. Chambers

An exceptionally revealing quote on Robert W. Chambers from a contemporary publication turned up online recently. Here, one can easily peer into the Renaissance Man lifestyle of this weird writer, who is largely overlooked, with the exception of his King in Yellow cycle. Chambers' wide array of interests gives insight into how he crafted his small, but notable body of weird stories. It also shows how he was able to churn out the less forgivable romance stories for money, effectively ending his literary career.

"What impresses one most about Mr. Robert W. Chambers is his amazing versatility. In addition to being a popular novelist, he is an expert on rare rugs; an artist, and so well qualified a judge of fine art that he can talk intelligently to the curators and directors of museums about the old masters on exhibition there; equipped with an understanding of Chinese and Japanese antiques so that he can detect forgeries in that art; an authority on mediaeval armor; a lover of outdoors, of horses, dogs, and an ardent collector of butterflies; and, in addition, a thorough man of the world, who knows Paris and Petrograd, and many of the out-of-the-way corners of the earth. These are the qualities that come to mind readily, but the list is far from complete. The longer one knows Mr. Chambers, the more varied the knowledge he finds in him."

- The Editorial Staff of the Mentor Association. (The Mentor, Vol 6, No. 14. Copyright 1918.

-Grim Blogger