Robert William Chambers, writer and poet, was born in
Brooklyn, May 26, 1865, and died December 16, 1913. Today he is mostly remembered for his
short story collection "
The King in Yellow", a landmark work in the field of
supernatural fiction. He wrote a total of some eighty-seven books, but he only returned to
horror in a few of these. Most of his work consists of
romance novels and
historical adventures, which made him one of the most
popular authors of his day, but which now have fallen, along with him, one might say, into
obscurity.
"The King in Yellow" has influenced the whole genre of fantastic fiction, as well as numerous other authors; H. P. Lovecraft, Clark Ashton Smith, Abraham Merritt and August Derleth to mention a few.