Burroughs was an American popular fantasy and sketch writer, creator of the famous Tarzan series. He also wrote about the planet Mars in the action adventure Barsoom series.
Early Life of Edgar Rice Burroughs
Edgar Rice Burroughs was born on September 1, 1875 in Chicago, his father an army major with a strong belief in discipline. He attended Harvard School in Chicago, where he learned about the classical world of ancient Greece and Rome.
Burroughs the Young Adult Cowboy
After leaving school, he was sent to live on his brother's cattle ranch. This was in the days of the Wild West, when life was tough and arguments could lead to a shootout. He lived a life of a cowboy for two years, before enrolling at a scholarly academy. But there, he didn't last long as he was expelled for laziness.
Burroughs the Soldier
Following training at Michigan Military Academy, Burroughs joined the US 7th Cavalry and fought the Apache Indians in Arizona but was later discharged when they found out he was underage. He returned to Chicago and did various jobs including selling stationery before he took on his writing career.
Tarzan Series
Burroughs was 36 when his first story was published in All-Story Weekly, a science fiction magazine. His first Tarzan book came out in 1914 when he was 39. The fictional hero – an infant son of an English aristocrat – is abandoned in the African jungle, brought up by apes, and becomes Tarzan, lord of the jungle. The first novel triggered many more sequels in films, radio, television and comic strips. The first Tarzan in the talking movie was played by Johnny Weismuller. He later returns to civilization only to largely reject it and return to the wild as a heroic adventurer.
Edgar Rice Burroughs produced almost 25 sequels. Numerous works in other media appeared later.
Burroughs' Legacy
After his death on March 19, 1950 (aged 74), there was a proliferation of new Tarzan stories without the permission of his estate. This did not only happen in the United States but worldwide.
Burroughs' popular novels have sold over 25 million copies worldwide. His life as a cowboy and soldier helped him to create a simple world of good and evil.
Works by Edgar Rice Burroughs
- Tarzan of the Apes, 1914
- The Return of Tarzan, 1915
- The Son of Tarzan, 1917
- The Gods of Mars, 1918
- At the Earth's Core, 1922
- The Land That Time Forgot, 1924
- Tarzan, Lord of the Jungle, 1928
- Carson of Venus, 1939
- Escape of Venus, 1946
Sources:
Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring (1994)
www.tarzan.org - Edgar Rice Burroughs, Inc.
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