Joseph S. Pulver Sr. (July 5, 1955 – April 24, 2020) was an author and poet, much of whose work falls within the

horror fiction Horror is a genre of fiction which is intended to frighten, scare, or disgust. Horror is often divided into the sub-genres of psychological horror and supernatural horror, which is in the realm of speculative fiction. Literary historian J ...

, noir fiction / hardboiled, and

dark fantasy Dark fantasy is a subgenre of fantasy literary, artistic, and cinematic works that incorporate disturbing and frightening themes of fantasy. It often combines fantasy with elements of horror or has a gloomy dark tone or a sense of horror and dr ...

genres. He lived in Germany, and died from COPD and other issues in a German hospital on April 24, 2020.

Work as author

Pulver started his publishing career in the early 1990s with a number of short stories published in various American

small press A small press is a publisher with annual sales below a certain level or below a certain number of titles published. The terms "indie publisher" and "independent press" and others are sometimes used interchangeably. Independent press is general ...

magazines, foremost among them Robert M. Price's ''Crypt of

Cthulhu Cthulhu is a fictional cosmic entity created by writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first introduced in his short story "The Call of Cthulhu", published by the American pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in 1928. Considered a Great Old One within the pan ...

''. His tales cover subjects ranging from

Robert Wiene Robert Wiene (; 27 April 1873 – 17 July 1938) was a film director of the silent era of German cinema. He is particularly known for directing the German silent film ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' and a succession of other German Expressionism, ...

's ''

The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari ''The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari'' (german: Das Cabinet des Dr. Caligari) is a 1920 German silent horror film, directed by Robert Wiene and written by Hans Janowitz and Carl Mayer. Considered the quintessential work of German Expressionist cinema, ...

'' to H.P. Lovecraft's

Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an ...

and

Robert W. Chambers Robert William Chambers (May 26, 1865 – December 16, 1933) was an American artist and fiction writer, best known for his book of short stories titled '' The King in Yellow'', published in 1895. Life Chambers was born in Brooklyn, New York, t ...

' " King in Yellow." Pulver's professional debut came with the publication of his Lovecraftian novel, " Nightmare's Disciple". In addition to various American

magazines (

Hippocampus Press Hippocampus Press is an American publisher that specializes in, "the works of H. P. Lovecraft and his literary circle." Founded in 1999, and based in New York City, Hippocampus is operated by founder Derrick Hussey. As of 2017, it has issued ...

, Lovecraft eZine,

Nemonymous ''Nemonymous'' was a short fiction publication that labeled itself a "megazanthus" (a portmanteau of magazine and anthology). It was published in the United Kingdom from 2001–2010, and edited by British writer D. F. Lewis. This publication wa ...

, etc.), Pulver's work has been featured in numerous

anthologies In book publishing Publishing is the activity of making information, literature, music, software and other content available to the public for sale or for free. Traditionally, the term refers to the creation and distribution of printed work ...

in the US, UK, France, and Japan. Some of these

include: "Black Wings: New Tales of Lovecraftian Horror", "The Tindalos Mythos", "Spawn of the Green Abyss", "The Book of Eibon",

Lin Carter Linwood Vrooman Carter (June 9, 1930 – February 7, 1988) was an American author of science fiction and fantasy, as well as an editor, poet and critic. He usually wrote as Lin Carter; known pseudonyms include H. P. Lowcraft (for an H. P. L ...

's "Anton Zarnak: Supernatural Sleuth", and "Rehearsals For Oblivion". Nearly two dozen short works of his have been translated into French and Japanese.

Work as editor

Pulver has also been the editor of ''

Midnight Shambler Lovecraft fandom, Lovecraftian fandom or Cthulhu Mythos fandom refers to is an international, informal community of fans of the works H. P. Lovecraft, especially of the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror. Lovecraft fandom emerged around ...

'' and ''Tales of Lovecraftian Horror''. He was also the co-editor for ''

Crypt of Cthulhu ''Crypt of Cthulhu'' is an American fanzine devoted to the writings of H. P. Lovecraft and the Cthulhu Mythos. It was published as part of the Esoteric Order of Dagon amateur press association for a short time, and was formally established in 19 ...

'', published by Mythos Books LLC working alongside Robert M. Price, Michael Cisco and David Wynn. He has also edited collections by Ann K. Schwader (''The Worms Remember'', Hive Press) and John B. Ford (''Dark Shadows on the Moon'', Hive Press). In 2012 Pulver edited ''A Season in Carcosa'' (an anthology of new tales based on

' " The King in Yellow" tales) for Miskatonic River Press. A year later he edited the award-winning anthology ''The Grimscribe's Puppets'' (a tribute anthology to

Thomas Ligotti Thomas Ligotti (born July 9, 1953) is an American horror writer. His writings are rooted in several literary genres – most prominently weird fiction – and have been described by critics as works of ''philosophical'' horror, often formed into ...

for the same publisher). Mr. Pulver was guest editor for the Lovecraft eZine '' The King in Yellow'' special issue, which was published in April 2014. ''Cassilda's Song'' (

Chaosium Chaosium Inc. is a publisher of tabletop role-playing games established by Greg Stafford in 1975. Chaosium's major titles include '' Call of Cthulhu'', based on the horror fiction stories of H. P. Lovecraft'', RuneQuest Glorantha'', ''Pendragon'' ...

), is an anthology based on

's King in Yellow with new tales, written by female writers. The anthology has been released in 2015 in electronic format and available in print in the first quarter of 2016. For the

Necronomicon Providence The NecronomiCon Providence, also known as the NecronomiCon Providence: The International Conference and Festival of Weird Fiction, Art, and Academia, is a biennial convention and academic conference held in Providence, Rhode Island. It explores th ...

Mr. Pulver edited a Round Robin for the Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council, that included stories, artwork and accounts by participants of the

in 2013 and 2015. In 2016 and 2017 several anthologies that have been edited by Joseph S. Pulver were published. Amongst them are ''The Madness of Dr. Caligari'' (

Fedogan & Bremer Fedogan & Bremer is a weird fiction specialty publishing house founded in Minneapolis, Minnesota in 1985 by Philip Rahman and Dennis Weiler. The name comes from the nicknames of the two founders when they were in college. The first Fedogan and ...

, 2016), ''Darker Companions'' - a tribute to

Ramsey Campbell Ramsey Campbell (born 4 January 1946) is an English horror fiction writer, editor and critic who has been writing for well over fifty years. He is the author of over 30 novels and hundreds of short stories, many of them winners of literary awa ...

, co-edited with Scott David Aniolowski ( PS Publishing, 2016), ''Born under a Bad Sign'' and ''The Leaves of a Necronomicon'' (

in 2016/2017). Mr. Pulver has curated the release of the Michael Cisco novella ''Knife Dance'' for Dim Shores. The novella was published in 2016.

Awards and nominations

* 2013 Shirley Jackson Award, as editor for Superior Work in an Anthology. ''The Grimscribe's Puppets'' ( Miskatonic River Press) * 2013 Bram Stoker Award, Finalist for award in Superior Achievement in the Anthology Category. ''The Grimscribe's Puppets'' ( Miskatonic River Press) * 2016

World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy literature, fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year a ...

, Finalist for World Fantasy Award for Best Anthology. ''Cassilda's Song'' (

) * 2016 Shirley Jackson Award nominee, for edited anthology. ''The Madness of Dr. Caligari'' (

)

Publications

as editor

* ''The Worms remember'' by Ann K. Schwader, Hive Press, 2001 * ''Dark Shadows on the Moon'' by John B. Ford, Hive Press, 2001 * ''A Season in Carcosa'', Miskatonic River Press, 2012 * ''The Grimscribe's Puppets'', Miskatonic River Press, 2013 * ''Cassilda's Song'',

, 2015 * ''The Doom that came to Providence'', The Lovecraft Arts & Sciences Council, 2015 * ''Darker Companions'', PS Publishing, co-edited with Scott D. Aniolowski * ''The Leaves of a Necronomicon'',

* ''The Madness of Dr. Caligari'',

* ''Born under a Bad Sign'',

Novels

* ''Nightmare's Disciple'',

1999 * ''The Orphan Palace'', Chômu Press, October 2011

Collections

*''Blood Will Have Its Season'', edited by

S.T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary criticis ...

2009 *''SIN & ashes'', edited by

2010 *''Portraits of Ruin'',

2012 *''A House of Hollow Wounds'', edited by Jeffrey Thomas,

2015 *''The Protocols of Ugliness'', (forthcoming) 2015 *''The King in Yellow Tales, Vol. 1'', Lovecraft eZine books Graphic Novels * Knots, Gestures and Positions i
Outside
An anthology of new horror fiction with artist Kim Bo Yung. Published b
Ash Pure
and Topic Press.

Critical reception

Anna Tambour: "In human terms, if I had to compare him to other authors, I would say that he reminds me more of a mug of hot Lear blended with Cummings, served with a squeeze of post-enema'd Shelley."

''Blood Will Have Its Season''

"The prose of Joe Pulver can take its place with that of the masters of our genre-Poe, Lovecraft, Campbell, Ligotti-while his imaginative reach is something uniquely his own." — From

S. T. Joshi Sunand Tryambak Joshi (born June 22, 1958) is an American literary critic whose work has largely focused on weird and fantastic fiction, especially the life and work of H. P. Lovecraft and associated writers. Career His literary criticis ...

's Foreword. "In this innovative, hypnotic collection, Joseph S. Pulver Sr. has proven himself to be a perversely masterful sculptor of our dreams."-Jeffrey Thomas. "Joe Pulver is a dark star in the merciless cosmos of weird fiction. His work is as brutal as it is beautiful." — Wilum Pugmire. "In an earlier day I feel sure Joe Pulver would have been arrested for writing some of the stuff in this collection. Maybe he will be yet! How can he write, with such intricate delicacy, thunderous prose that fairly rips up the pages it is printed on? I wish I knew!" — Robert M. Price.

''The Grimscribe's Puppets''

is beyond doubt one of the Grandmasters of Weird Fiction. In The Grimscribe's Puppets, Joseph S. Pulver Sr. has commissioned both new and established talents in the world of weird fiction and horror to contribute all new tales that pay homage to Ligotti and celebrate his eerie and essential nightmares.

Poppy Z. Brite Billy Martin (born May 25, 1967), formerly Poppy Z. Brite, is an American author. He initially achieved fame in the gothic horror genre of literature in the early 1990s by publishing a string of successful novels and short story collections. He i ...

once asked, "Are you out there, Thomas Ligotti?" This anthology proves not only is he alive and well, but his extraordinary illuminations have proven to be a visionary and fertile source of inspiration for some of today's most accomplished authors."

''The Orphan Palace''

Maureen Kincaid Speller for ''Weird Fiction Review'': "Moving to the present day, ''The Orphan Palace'' by Joseph S. Pulver (Chômu Press, 2011) certainly cannot be accused of such reticence. Ostensibly, the story of a road trip made by a serial arsonist and killer, from the West Coast to the East, in search of his childhood nemesis is not promising material, and I don't mind admitting that The Orphan Palace initially seemed to sit far out on the edge of my reading comfort zone. However, it quickly became clear that there is much more to this novel than a trail of dumped cars, torched buildings and broken and bloody bodies."

''Portraits of Ruin''

Matt Cardin: "Just be prepared for a ride that will upend your sensibilities. ..Portraits of Ruin truly is a Coney Island of the Mind. But it's one where the rides drip with darkness and tilt at non-Euclidean angles, and whirl you into an abyss of strange entity that grins and chitters and babbles in alien tongues (which eventually come to sound like your own voice)." "Let us posit that Bukowski is the sun. Or Brautigan, Burroughs and the Beats—a solar Coney Island of the Mind where Timothy Leary's dead and dead Cthulhu waits and sings the live long daydream believer. Then Joe Pulver's Portraits of Ruin would be the burst of planets, Big Bang-Bang, Marquee Moons hanging on for what they got, scream of consciousness—in Outer Space no one can hear it . . . except Coffin Joe, Monster Mash Potato that big ol' Portraits of Ruin—Mars needs it, you need it, so just open the lid and shake your fist—then say: "They kill horses, horses, horses, horses." Thank you. Come again?" —Thomas Ligotti. "Fearless. Daring. Poetic prose for the unhinged. Each tale in Portraits of Ruin packs the sort of mental wallop that leaves the reader reeling. From the scorched deserts to the highest foreign towers, across plains of reality and beneath burning suns, this is no volume for the weak, for the conventional. It is a wake-up call from one of the genre's most visionary masters. A book for those who see differently, for those not afraid to know the truth no matter how terrible the cost. I envy anyone about to experience Pulver's horrors for the first time." –

Simon Strantzas Simon Strantzas (born 1972) is a weird fiction author from Toronto, Canada. He has written five story collections and been nominated for a British Fantasy Award in 2009. He has also edited three anthologies including ''Aickman's Heirs'' which won ...

, author of ''Nightingale Songs''.

''A Season in Carcosa''

Nic Pizzolatto, the creator of ''

True Detective ''True Detective'' is an American anthology crime drama television series created and written by Nic Pizzolatto. The series, broadcast by the premium cable network HBO in the United States, premiered on January 12, 2014. Each season of the ...

'', refers to ''A Season in Carcosa'' in a recent interview with ''

The Wall Street Journal ''The Wall Street Journal'' is an American business-focused, international daily newspaper based in New York City, with international editions also available in Chinese and Japanese. The ''Journal'', along with its Asian editions, is published ...

'' "For fans of the show who'd like to see what contemporary voices have done with Chambers' "King in Yellow," I'd point them toward Karl Edward Wagner's short story "The River of Night's Dreaming" or the recent anthology "A Season in Carcosa." Walter Hicks (Hellbound Times): "This is a superior collection, with a diverse and outstanding line-up of talent. As with any anthology, some of the stories will work better for individual readers than others, but each one merits inclusion and consideration here. Does it accentuate the reading experience to be familiar with Chambers/The King in Yellow? Probably, and though I would highly recommend reading the source material, it certainly is not a necessity. All readers who enjoy ominous, enigmatic and darkly beautiful literature, highly imaginative journeys into madness, altered realities and the true terror behind the Mask will relish spending A Season in Carcosa."

SIN & ashes

Laird Barron in SF Signal: "Joe Pulver's Sin & Ashes is a hardboiled/noir/horror collection that reads like prose poetry; a psychedelic hybrid of James Ellroy, William Burroughs, and H.P. Lovecraft. It'll rattle your brain." "Joseph S Pulver Sr. is a thunderous scribe of dark fiction. His poetry slams into you, cracking through flesh and bone to the real meat beneath. SIN & ashes is his mighty hammer, deftly wielded and smithed on Hephaestus's great anvil. This is no book for the faint of heart. Filled with hard boiled goodness and devastating imagery, Pulver proves his is a talent to be reckoned with, and cements his rightful place as one of the most interesting voices in the genre. I am both awed and humbled by his power." — Simon Strantzas. "Joe Pulver's ''Sin and Ashes'' is a messed up (and I mean Cronenberg messed up) splicing of William S. Burroughs and Thomas Ligotti. Add a whiskey chaser. After reading these vibrant and weird stories with their assorted devils and down-and-outs, I kinda want to party with Joe. But I think I'm too scared to." — Paul Tremblay, author of The Little Sleep and in the Mean Time.

References

External links

* *
"SIN & ashes" at Hippocampus Press
{{DEFAULTSORT:Pulver, Joseph S. Sr. 1955 births 2020 deaths Cthulhu Mythos writers 20th-century American novelists 21st-century American novelists American book editors American horror writers American male novelists Writers from Berlin American male short story writers 20th-century American poets 21st-century American poets American male poets 20th-century American short story writers 21st-century American short story writers 20th-century American male writers 21st-century American male writers Writers from Schenectady, New York Weird fiction writers Respiratory disease deaths in Germany Deaths from chronic obstructive pulmonary disease