Clark Ashton Smith

The Last Oblivion: Best Fantastic Poems of Clark Ashton Smith

Clark Ashton Smith could well be considered one of the great poets of the twentieth century, and much of his verse explores the realms of fantasy, terror, wonder, and the supernatural. In this volume-the first major selection of Smith's poetry in more than thirty years-editors S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz have presented an extensive array of poetic work that fully reveals Smith's exotic language, imaginative range, and metrical precision.




Including work from as early as the precocious Star-Treader and Other Poems (1912) and as late as the posthumously published The Hill of Dionysus (1962), The Last Oblivion features such celebrated works as "Nero," "Ode to the Abyss," and Smith's exquisite elegies to his mentor George Sterling and to his colleague in fantasy, H. P. Lovecraft. Poems on Zothique, Averoigne, and Atlantis-realms in which many of his prose tales are set-are also featured. As an aid to readers, an exhaustive glossay of unusual words and names used in Smith's poetry is provided.




S. T. Joshi and David E. Schultz are leading authorities on Smith, H. P. Lovecraft, and their circle. Among their numerous publications are Hippocampus Press editions of the complete poetry of George Sterling, and the collected works of Samuel Loveman.