Donald Wandrei
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Donald Albert Wandrei (20 April 1908 – 15 October 1987)Minnesota Death Certificates Index
. Accessed 21 May 2009
was an American
science fiction Science fiction (often shortened to sci-fi or abbreviated SF) is a genre of speculative fiction that deals with imaginative and futuristic concepts. These concepts may include information technology and robotics, biological manipulations, space ...
,
fantasy Fantasy is a genre of speculative fiction that involves supernatural or Magic (supernatural), magical elements, often including Fictional universe, imaginary places and Legendary creature, creatures. The genre's roots lie in oral traditions, ...
and weird fiction writer, poet and editor. He was the older brother of science fiction writer and artist Howard Wandrei. He had fourteen stories in ''
Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printe ...
'', another sixteen in '' Astounding Stories'', plus a few in other magazines including ''
Esquire Esquire (, ; abbreviated Esq.) is usually a courtesy title. In the United Kingdom, ''esquire'' historically was a title of respect accorded to men of higher social rank, particularly members of the landed gentry above the rank of gentleman ...
''. Wandrei was the co-founder (with
August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...
) of the prestigious fantasy/horror publishing house
Arkham House Arkham House was an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had ...
.


Biography


Early life

Wandrei was born in Saint Paul,
Minnesota Minnesota ( ) is a U.S. state, state in the Upper Midwestern region of the United States. It is bordered by the Canadian provinces of Manitoba and Ontario to the north and east and by the U.S. states of Wisconsin to the east, Iowa to the so ...
. All of his grandparents were early Minnesota settlers. Donald's father, Albert Christian Wandrei, became chief editor of West Publishing Company, America's leading publisher of law books. Donald grew up in his parents' house at 1152 Portland Ave, St Paul and lived there most of his life save for a stint in the Army and occasional sojourns in New York and Hollywood. Donald loved frequent rambles in the woods along the Minnesota River; it was Wandrei who later taught
August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...
the fine art of
morel ''Morchella'', the true morels, is a genus of edible sac fungi closely related to anatomically simpler cup fungi in the order Pezizales ( division Ascomycota). These distinctive fungi have a honeycomb appearance due to the network of ridges ...
hunting.


1920s

Wandrei attended Central High in St Paul from 1921–24, during which he published short compositions in the school newspaper and avidly read the magazine '' Science and Invention''. In 1923, he began work part-time as a "page-boy" in the Circulation Room of the Saint Paul Public Library, filling reader's requests for books from the storage stacks; this expanded his access to, and reading of, a wide variety of literature. In 1923 and 1924, Wandrei also worked evenings at the Hill Reference Library. He attended the
University of Minnesota The University of Minnesota Twin Cities (historically known as University of Minnesota) is a public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Minneapolis–Saint Paul, Twin Cities of Minneapolis and Saint ...
. While there, he was a student editor and regular columnist on the student newspaper ''The Minnesota Daily'' and was also associated with the ''Minnesota Quarterly Magazine'', as well as contributing pieces (often unsigned or pseudonymous) to the campus humour magazine ''Ski-U-Mah'', which was edited by classmate Carl Jacobi. At that time he was enormously influenced by a reading of
Arthur Machen Arthur Machen ( or ; 3 March 1863 – 15 December 1947) was the pen-name of Arthur Llewellyn Jones, a Welsh people, Welsh author and mysticism, mystic of the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He is best known for his influential supernatural ...
's novel '' The Hill of Dreams''. Wandrei graduated in 1928, with a BA in English. At the age of 16, Wandrei completed his short story "The Red Brain", in which a mysterious Cosmic Dust sweeps through the universe, obliterating the stars. Only
Antares Antares is the brightest star in the constellation of Scorpius. It has the Bayer designation α Scorpii, which is Latinisation of names, Latinised to Alpha Scorpii. Often referred to as "the heart of the scorpion", Antares is flanked by ...
, inhabited by a race of viscous Brains, survives – and this last remnant of universal sentience entrusts its fate to the unique, laboratory-created Red Brain in a compelling fable that leaves behind the concerns of human aquarium to revel in the cosmos and the ultimate terror waiting there. Wandrei started writing in 1926 and his writing career took off around 1932. In late 1927 he hitchhiked from Minnesota to Rhode Island to visit H.P. Lovecraft. Lovecraft conducted him on a grand antiquarian tour of Providence and then on to similar tours in
Boston Boston is the capital and most populous city in the Commonwealth (U.S. state), Commonwealth of Massachusetts in the United States. The city serves as the cultural and Financial centre, financial center of New England, a region of the Northeas ...
, Salem and Marblehead. There was also an excursion to
Warren, Rhode Island Warren is a town in Bristol County, Rhode Island, United States. The population was 11,147 at the 2020 census. History Warren was the site of the Pokanoket Indian settlement of Sowams located on a peninsula within the Pokanoket region. The reg ...
, later made famous by Wandrei's reminiscences in the Arkham House volume ''Marginalia'' (1944) during which Wandrei, Lovecraft and James Ferdinand Morton each sampled twenty-eight different flavors of ice cream at Maxfield's ice-cream parlour. In 1925, Wandrei gave Clark Ashton Smith $50 so the Auburn poet could see ''Sandalwood'' through the press. Wandrei's first book, begun at age 18 and published when he was but 20, was the poetry volume ''Ecstasy & Other Poems'' which was published by W. Paul Cook's The Recluse Press in 1928. The book's verse shows homage to
Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an influential American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories and poetry, and an artist. He achieved early recognition in California (largely through the enthusiasm ...
and to Smith's poetic mentor George Sterling.


1930s including co-founding Arkham House

Wandrei was active in
pulp magazines Pulp magazines (also referred to as "the pulps") were inexpensive fiction magazines that were published from 1896 until around 1955. The term "pulp" derives from the wood pulp paper on which the magazines were printed, due to their cheap nature. ...
until the late 1930s. He was a member of the "Lovecraft Circle", as a friend and protégé of
H. P. Lovecraft Howard Phillips Lovecraft (, ; August 20, 1890 – March 15, 1937) was an American writer of Weird fiction, weird, Science fiction, science, fantasy, and horror fiction. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos. Born in Provi ...
, corresponding with other members of the circle (
Frank Belknap Long Frank Belknap Long Jr. (April 27, 1901 – January 3, 1994) was an American writer of horror fiction, fantasy, science fiction, poetry, gothic romance, comic books, and non-fiction. Though his writing career spanned seven decades, he is best k ...
,
Clark Ashton Smith Clark Ashton Smith (January 13, 1893 – August 14, 1961) was an influential American writer of fantasy, horror, and science fiction stories and poetry, and an artist. He achieved early recognition in California (largely through the enthusiasm ...
, etc.). Wandrei personally made the case for ''
Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printe ...
'' to publish Lovecraft's "
The Call of Cthulhu "The Call of Cthulhu" is a cosmic horror short story by American writer H. P. Lovecraft. Written in the summer of 1926, it was first published in the pulp magazine ''Weird Tales'' in February 1928. The story is a founding document of the Cthul ...
" telling Farnsworth Wright that unless he published the tale, Lovecraft would look for other magazines to submit stories to. As an accomplished poet, Wandrei was the first to write a series of sonnets for ''Weird Tales'', "Sonnets of the Midnight Hours". Lovecraft liked the idea so much, he embarked on his own series, '' Fungi from Yuggoth''.
Robert E. Howard Robert Ervin Howard (January 22, 1906 – June 11, 1936) was an American writer who wrote pulp magazine, pulp fiction in a diverse range of genres. He created the character Conan the Barbarian and is regarded as the father of the sword and sor ...
also wrote his own series with "Sonnets out of Bedlam". Wandrei's second book (and second book of verse) was ''Dark Odyssey'' (Webb Publishing Co, 1931) illustrated with five illustrations by his brother Howard Wandrei. Wandrei's only full-length fantastic novel, ''Dead Titans, Waken!'', written in 1932, was rejected successively by three publishers – Harpers, Kendall and John Day – and finally shelved indefinitely by its author. However it was eventually destined to be published in a heavily revised version in 1948 by Arkham House as '' The Web of Easter Island''. The original version was scheduled to be published in the late 1990s by weird fiction specialty publishing house Fedogan and Bremer but due to the dormancy of F&B, the edition was held up. Re-edited by S.T. Joshi, it was finally published by Centipede Press in a limited edition of 300 copies in March 2012. The volume includes Wandrei's mainstream novel "Invisible Sun". Fedogan and Bremer eventually issued a paperback edition of the two-novel omnibus in 2017. During 1933, Wandrei lived in a studio apartment in New York that was within easy walking distance of the offices of Street & Smith, who published '' Astounding Stories'', so that Wandrei could easily bring in a new story by hand. His story "Colossus" was the first "thought variant" story (stories based on some new or not-yet-overworked idea such as other dimensions or the timetravel paradox), and helped revive the fortunes of ''Astounding'' under the editorship of his editorial mentor, F. Orlin Tremaine. During the 1930s, Wandrei wrote two more (non-fantastic) novels and several plays, one a collaboration with his brother Howard but none were published although they were submitted to various publishers and agents. At this period Wandrei also broke into the crime pulps with stories of his detective I.V. Frost published in such magazines as ''Clues Detective Stories'' (Half of these are gathered in ''Frost'' (2000)) and others for '' Black Mask''. He also broke into the 'slicks' with stories published in ''Esquire''. Wandrei contributed two stories to the
Cthulhu Mythos The Cthulhu Mythos is a mythopoeia and a shared fictional universe, originating in the works of American Horror fiction, horror writer H. P. Lovecraft. The term was coined by August Derleth, a contemporary correspondent and protégé of Lovecraft, t ...
: " The Fire Vampires" (1933) and "The Tree-Men of M'Bwa" (1933). In 1939, Wandrei and
August Derleth August William Derleth (February 24, 1909 – July 4, 1971) was an American writer and anthologist. He was the first book publisher of the writings of H. P. Lovecraft. He made contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the Lovecraftian horror, cosmi ...
later co-founded the publishing house
Arkham House Arkham House was an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had ...
to keep Lovecraft's legacy alive, an action for which Wandrei is perhaps better remembered than for his own fiction. Wandrei and Derleth co-edited the omnibus collections '' The Outsider and Others'' and '' Beyond the Wall of Sleep''. Much of the editorial work on Lovecraft's ''Selected Letters'' series (published by Arkham House in five volumes between 1964 and 1976) was performed by Wandrei. Wandrei's interest in Arkham House centred primarily on seeing the Lovecraft writings into print; it was Derleth who brought a wider program to the press when Wandrei entered the army in 1942.


1940s

Wandrei wrote some outlines for '' Gang Busters'' and other
comic book A comic book, comic-magazine, or simply comic is a publication that consists of comics art in the form of sequential juxtaposed panel (comics), panels that represent individual scenes. Panels are often accompanied by descriptive prose and wri ...
s in the 1940s, and also attempted writing song lyrics in Hollywood. After
World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...
, he continued writing
speculative fiction Speculative fiction is an umbrella term, umbrella genre of fiction that encompasses all the subgenres that depart from Realism (arts), realism, or strictly imitating everyday reality, instead presenting fantastical, supernatural, futuristic, or ...
stories, although at a greatly reduced rate. Some of his stories were adapted for the comic book '' Weird Science'' – "Divide and Conquer" (issue 6), based on his "A Scientist Divides", and "Monster from the Fourth Dimension" (issue 7), based on "A Monster from Nowhere". The author note on Wandrei's story collection (his first prose volume), ''The Eye and the Finger'' (1944), says: "An inveterate traveler, he has ranged from New York to Hollywood, and from Quebec to New Orleans, with extensions to Panama and Cuba" and also notes that his active hobby was photography. Furthermore, "he prefers to work at night, and has often written a complete story in a single night. Some of his tales have originated in the form of dreams, of which he says he has a hair-raising variety, and have been written with few changes." Wandrei served almost four years with the U.S. Army in World War II, and as a technical sergeant, Third Battalion, 259th Infantry, 65th Division, a unit of General Patton's famous Third Army, took part in the final drive across Germany into Austria – the Rhineland and Central Europe campaigns.Author note, rear dustjacket flap, ''The Web of Easter Island'' Arkham House, (1948)


1950s

Post-World War II, Wandrei's fiction output dropped considerably. His time with the army had left him little time to write, and although he worked on several novels and plays, none of these was published.


1960s

In 1964, Arkham House published Wandrei's third book of poetry, ''Poems for Midnight''. This volume, like his earlier ''Dark Odyssey'', was supplemented with four pen-and-ink illustrations by his brother Howard Wandrei. The complete sonnet sequence "Sonnets of the Midnight Hours" is included, along with many other poems dating back as far as 1926 and including several reprints from both his earlier volumes of verse. Some of the early poems were revised radically for their appearance in ''Poems for Midnight'' In 1965, Arkham House published Wandrei's second collection of short stories, ''Strange Harvest'', which gathered 17 tales published in ''
Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printe ...
'', '' Astounding Stories'' and ''Fantasy Magazine''. The jacket drawing was by the author's brother, Howard Wandrei, who had died in 1956. In 1967, a new tale, "The Crater", appeared in the Arkham House anthology ''Travellers by Night''. Wandrei occupied his time editing Lovecraft's ''Selected Letters'', whose first two volumes appeared successively in 1965 and 1968. Volume Three followed in 1971, and Volumes 4 and 5 eventually reached print in 1976.


1970s

In the 1970s Wandrei commenced a long and tedious process of litigation against Arkham House, the publishing company he had helped to found. After August Derleth's death in 1971, Donald Wandrei briefly acted as editorial director, but declined to resume his interest in the firm permanently. 1971 saw a new original tale from Wandrei, "Requiem for Mankind", which appeared in the Arkham House anthology ''
Dark Things ''Dark Things'' is an anthology of Horror fiction, horror stories edited by American writer August Derleth. It was released in 1971 in literature, 1971 by Arkham House in an edition of 3,051 copies. It was Derleth's fourth anthology of previous ...
''. Wandrei came in frequent contact during the 1970s with novelist and poet Richard L. Tierney, a Twin Cities resident for nine years in the 1970s. Though Wandrei had, for reasons unknown, abandoned the writing of poetry around 1934, he wrote four poems in 1977 and 1978 which he circulated amongst friends and colleagues as limited state broadsides. Wandrei circulated iconoclastic letter-essays that denounced many of the organized forces behind the modern fantasy movement – a movement he, as a founder of Arkham House, was instrumental in setting motion.


1980s

In 1984, Wandrei was awarded the
World Fantasy Award The World Fantasy Awards are a set of awards given each year for the best fantasy fiction published during the previous calendar year. Organized and overseen by the World Fantasy Convention, the awards are given each year at the eponymous ann ...
for Life Achievement. However, he refused to accept the award because he felt that the bust representing the award was a demeaning caricature of Lovecraft, whom he had known personally. Wandrei died in St. Paul in 1987. In 1976, Philip Rahman had met Wandrei at a convention and the two became friends. Three years after Wandrei's death in 1987, Rahman and his mostly silent partner Dennis Weiler founded the publishing firm of Fedogan and Bremer to issue work by Donald and Howard Wandrei as well as other classic pulp writers.


Awards

* World Fantasy Award for Life Achievement (1984) (Wandrei refused to accept the award)


Bibliography


Novels

* '' The Web of Easter Island'' (1948) *''Dead Titans, Waken!/ Invisible Sun'' (Centipede Press, hardcover, 2012; Fedogan & Bremer, trade paperback, 2017). Because this is an omnibus of two novels, it is also listed under Collections below.


Collections

*'' The Eye and the Finger'' (
Arkham House Arkham House was an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had ...
, 1944) *'' Strange Harvest'' (
Arkham House Arkham House was an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had ...
, 1965) *'' Colossus'' (Philip J Rahman & Dennis E Weiler, eds. Fedogan & Bremer, 1989) An expanded 2nd ed. was issued in 1999, adding two stories ("A Stranger Passes" & "If"), plus an updated biographical intro by Richard L. Tierney, a photo gallery. A Selected Bibliography by D.H. Olson which appeared in the first edition was ommitted from the 2nd ed. 2nd ed . A bonus booklet called "Farewell to Earth: The Original Ending" (no ISBN) was printed in an edition of only 75 copies and given to some purchasers of the 2nd ed. *'' Don't Dream: The Collected Fantasy and Horror of Donald Wandrei'' (Philip J Rahman & Dennis E Weiler, eds. Fedogan & Bremer, 1997) *''
Frost Frost is a thin layer of ice on a solid surface, which forms from water vapor that deposits onto a freezing surface. Frost forms when the air contains more water vapor than it can normally hold at a specific temperature. The process is simila ...
'' ( F & B Mystery, 2000) *'' Three Mysteries'' ( F & B Mystery, 2000) 100 copies were included with the deluxe edition of Wandrei's collection Frost. *''Dead Titans, Waken!'' ( Fedogan and Bremer, 2017). Despite the main title, this edition is in fact an omnibus of ''Dead Titans, Waken!'' (the original title for the early version of '' The Web of Easter Island'') and the mainstream novel ''Invisible Sun''. It includes an Afterword and Notes by S.T. Joshi. For the preceding Centipede Press limited edition of ''Dead Titans, Waken!/Invisible Sun'' (2003), see '' The Web of Easter Island'' *''The Complete I.V. Frost'' (Haffner Press, 2021)


Poetry

*''Ecstasy & Other Poems'' (Athol, Mass: W. Paul Cook, The Recluse Press, 1928; ltd to 322 copies). Hardcover. Collects 30 poems. Reprinted in entirety in ''Collected Poems'' (1988). *''Dark Odyssey'' (St Paul, MN: Webb Publishing Co, 1931; ltd to 400 copies). Hardcover. Collects 23 poems, with five illustrations by Howard Wandrei. Reprinted in entirety in ''Collected Poems'' (1988). *'' Poems for Midnight'' (
Arkham House Arkham House was an American publishing house specializing in weird fiction. It was founded in Sauk City, Wisconsin, in 1939 by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to publish hardcover collections of H. P. Lovecraft's best works, which had ...
, 1964). Reprinted in entirety in ''Collected Poems'' (1988) *''Collected Poems'' ( Necronomicon Press, 1988) – edited by S. T. Joshi; illustrated by Howard Wandrei . In addition to reprinting the entire contents of ''Ecstasy'', ''Dark Odyssey'', ''Poems for Midnight'' and the poetry section of the anthology ''Broken Mirrors'', this volume includes 29 previously uncollected poems from the pages of
Weird Tales ''Weird Tales'' is an American fantasy and horror fiction pulp magazine founded by J. C. Henneberger and J. M. Lansinger in late 1922. The first issue, dated March 1923, appeared on newsstands February 18. The first editor, Edwin Baird, printe ...
and ''The Minnesota Quarterly'' as well as four never before published. It also reprints the original Howard Wandrei illustrations from ''Dark Odyssey'' and ''Poems for Midnight.'' The cover was designed by Robert H. Knox and incorporates two drawings by Howard Wandrei. Despite the title, this volume is entirely superseded by ''Sanctity and Sin'' (2008). *''Sanctity and Sin: The Collected Poetry and Prose-Poems of Donald Wandrei'' (edited by S.T. Joshi; illustrated by Howard Wandrei). Hippocampus Press, 2008. . Includes all known poems including prose poems and previously uncollected poems including prose-poems.


Letters

*''Mysteries of Time & Spirit: The Letters of H.P. Lovecraft & Donald Wandrei'' (S. T. Joshi & David E Schultz, eds.; Night Shade Books, 2002)


Other

''A Donald Wandrei Miscellany''. Ed. D. H. Olson., St Paul, MN: Sidecar Preservation Society, 2001. A sampling of rare fiction, non-fiction, verse, humour and satire. According to the editor: "1st edition (100 copies, 20 bound in boards) was released on Oct 28, 2001 and went out of print on November 12th. A second "corrected" edition (100 copies, pb only) was released in February 2002. For the record the error in the 1st edition (the pbs) was that the prose poem "Ebony and Silver" was printed using an uncorrected text. An errata sheet was added to all copies of that first edition beginning on 10-31-01."


Notes


References

* Leigh Blackmore. ''Ecstasies and Odysseys: The Weird Poetry of Donald Wandrei''. Forthcoming in Phillip A. Ellis and Benjamin J. Szumskyj (eds) ''Rhythmic Toil Combin'd: Poets of the Lovecraft Circle'' (Mythos Books) * * * Don Herron. "The Last Cosmic Master". ''Studies in Weird Fiction'' 4 (Fall 1988), 13–22. * Don Herron. The Red Brain': A Study in Absolute Doom". ''Studies in Weird Fiction'' No 2(Summer 1987), 30–35. * S. T. Joshi. "The Poetry of Donald Wandrei". ''Studies in Weird Fiction'' 3 (Spring 1988). * S. T. Joshi.  "Donald Wandrei: Nightmare in Green", chapter 5 in ''Emperors of Dreams: Some Notes on Weird Poetry''. Sydney: P'rea Press, 2008. (pbk) and (hbk). * S. T. Joshi (ed). ''Studies in Weird Fiction'' 3 (Fall 1988). West Warwick, RI: Necronomicon Press. Donald Wandrei Special issue. * Richard L. Tierney. "Introduction" to ''Colossus: The Collected Science Fiction of Donald Wandrei''. Minneapolis, MN: Fedogan and Bremer, 1989 (1st ed). Expanded Introduction in the 2nd/expanded edition (1999).


External links


Donald Wandrei: An Inventory of His Papers at the Minnesota Historical Society
*

* * * {{DEFAULTSORT:Wandrei, Donald 1908 births 1987 deaths University of Minnesota College of Liberal Arts alumni 20th-century American novelists American fantasy writers American horror writers American male novelists Novelists from Minnesota Writers from Minneapolis American science fiction writers 20th-century American short story writers Cthulhu Mythos writers 20th-century American poets American male poets American male short story writers American weird fiction writers 20th-century American male writers