A certain amount of words have been produced demonstrating that Lovecraft was a regional writer, having set so many tales in New England. One could argue that Leiber was a regional writer, setting tales in Chicago when he was there ("Smoke Ghost"), in Los Angeles when he was there ("Black Gondolier")and in San Francisco when he was there ("Our Lady of Darkness"). Has anyone done the same for Smith? True, many of his settings were otherworldly or ancient places only partially derived from reality, but he had some earthly settings even if they presaged a journey to elsewhere. If his use of local settings is recognized, maybe he will get greater recognition in the wider world.

J. B. Post

I cannot speak for his short-stories, but at least in the poetry, the place where I find the most recognizably Californian settings are in his haikus. For instance, in "Aftermath of Mining Days" he says:

Monotonously rolled
On the hills the broom
Spreads its many-acred gold.

This could be anywhere granted— but with the title, I know precisely what he is talking about. The yellow fields leading up to Auburn in the summer are just as he captures and lines like the above immediately remind me of my memories there. Likewise, haikus like "Slaughter-House Pasture" capture the ruggedness of the area. I remember finding bones just like he describes in a nearby area of the foothills when I was a child. Moreover, in some of his pastorals like "The Old Water Wheel" and also his "Hills of Dionysus" there are certainly places that seem familiar.

However, I do not think he embodies the region so to speak. I love CAS but I also know that he had a much richer vision than even the landscape could offer. I do wish, in my own way, that he would have written more about the area because there is a distinctive "haunted" and "sleepy" feeling to Auburn and the surrounding hills which would have been wonderful to read about from someone with his verbal capacity. Though I am probably a little biased since I do more research on his mentor, George Sterling, I do think that the latter did more for his "region" than CAS did. There is just not a great deal of historical connectedness between CAS and the landscape (that is, there are not that many poems with place-names or local historical figures); In some sense, I think CAS tried to transcend the overtly historical or locally mundane world and in that, I find him to be quite successful.

To be clear, I am NOT saying CAS is not a distinctively Californian poet. In my opinion, he does have a place in California's literary history for the way he writes and the subjects he treats; however, I just do not find them to be distinctively "regional" in the sense of connections to his literal landscape (with the exception of the haikus).

I look forward to seeing what others say about the stories. I haven't read enough of them yet to comment on it. But concerning the poetry, these are my opinions.

Apropos of the tales, there's plenty of local color in such works as "The City of the Singing Flame", "The Ninth Skeleton", and the otherwise dreadful "Phantoms of the Fire". Other tales that include California settings, some with recognizable Auburn settings, are "The Devotee of Evil" and "The Hunters from Beyond". CAS and Lovecraft also discuss regionalism and attachment to place in their correspondence.

Thank you Absquatch for pointing out the stories as related to Auburn's settings particularly. I've been so busy with poetry subjects I had not had a chance to read them, but I will have to remedy that!

There are likely some other roman a clef-type elements in such satirical stories as "A Good Embalmer", too. I also forgot to mention CAS's rattlesnake tale as containing local color. When/if Calonlan sees this, he can likely expand upon these examples.

By the way, anyone know what the Crater Ridge/Donner Pass and Summit area is called today?

That's Truckee right? I love that area, particularly because there are not as many people there as in Tahoe.

I am not sure. I've not been to Truckee in many, many years, but I echo your remarks about it, as opposed to Tahoe.

Anyway, I just wondered, because Donald Sidney Fryer, in his introduction to the City of the Singing Flame volume published by Timescape, merely mentions that Crater Ridge "is now officially known by another name", one that he declines to mention. Perhaps he feared the overwhelming popularity and impending best-seller status of his volume would unleash a horde of tourists upon the region? :-P

Absquatch Wrote:
-------------------------------------------------------
> There are likely some other roman a clef-type
> elements in such satirical stories as "A Good
> Embalmer", too. I also forgot to mention CAS's
> rattlesnake tale as containing local color.
> When/if Calonlan sees this, he can likely expand
> upon these examples.
>
> By the way, anyone know what the Crater
> Ridge/Donner Pass and Summit area is called today?

Many of Clark's stories have local settings, some completely, some as a beginning - ie - Genius Loci (one of my absolute favorites) and "Schizoid Creator" -
Donnor Pass is still Donnor pass, the Summit is the Summit - Crater Ridge may be the highway above Bear Valley - not sure

Thanks for the additional information. I feel foolish for having omitted "Genius Loci"--an obvious example, and a favorite of mine, too (as well as the first tale of CAS's that I ever read).

NightHalo (and whoever else may be interested):

After further research and inquiries: Yes, it appears that you are right. It seems that Crater Ridge is most likely now called Boreal Ridge, and is in the Truckee area. It appears to be a very popular ski resort area, now. Let's hope that at least the part that inspired the visit to the Singing Flame remains unsullied.

Ah now I've driven right by the Boreal ski resort! This is interesting; I will have to make "The City of the Singing Flame" a priority among the stories so I have a little adventure to trek out when I return back to CA.

Klarkash-Ton country: now with extra snow bunnies!

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