H. Warner Munn
H. Warner Munn was an American writer born on November 5, 1903, in Athol, Massachusetts. He emerged as a notable figure in the realm of speculative fiction, particularly during the 1920s and beyond, having been encouraged by the influential writer H. P. Lovecraft to explore unique storytelling perspectives, such as depicting a werewolf's experience. Munn’s writing was featured in the prestigious pulp magazine "Weird Tales," where his story "The Werewolf of Ponkert" first appeared in 1925. Over the course of his career, he published several short stories, poems, and novels, with his interest in folklore, witchcraft, and ancient history profoundly influencing his work.
Although he began his career as a full-time writer, Munn later took on various jobs, including roles as a salesman and office manager, while continuing to write. He published his first book in 1958 and enjoyed recognition through several awards, including the Henry Broderick Play Award and the Clarke Ashton Smith poetry award. Munn was also actively involved in the Tacoma Writers Club, contributing to its community by editing the club's newsletter. He passed away on January 10, 1981, leaving behind a legacy of imaginative storytelling and a deep engagement with diverse themes.
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H. Warner Munn
- Born: November 5, 1903
- Birthplace: Athol, Massachusetts
- Died: January 10, 1981
Biography
Harold Warner Munn, known to his readers as H.Warner Munn, was born on November 5, 1903, in Athol, Massachusetts. He was the son of Edward Emerson Munn, a painter, and Jessica Munn (nee Lemon). He was raised in Athol, where he attended public schools and was brought up as a Lutheran. Munn married Malvena Ruth Beaudoin on January 14, 1930, and they had four children, John Warner, James Edward, Gerald Douglas, and Robin Shawn.
Munn was a full-time writer from 1925 to 1930, after which he held a number of varied jobs including salesman, truck driver, deckhand, brakeman for New York Central Railroad, and toolmaker and foundryman for L.S. Starrett Company, in Athol. He also was assistant manager of the F. W. Woolworth department store in Athol. He served in the Massachusetts State Guard from 1940 to 1942. Munn later moved to Tacoma, Washington, to work as a ripsaw operator and planer for Buffelea Wood Working Company. In 1958 he became the office manager of Stoker Land Heating Company in Tacoma, and he remained in this job until he retired in 1968.
Munn began his writing career through the encouragement of writer H. P. Lovecraft, who asked why a werewolf story had not been told from the point of view of the werewolf. Munn’s resulting story, “The Werewolf of Ponkert,” was published in Weird Tales magazine in 1925. He contributed to such anthologies as By Daylight Only ( 1928), and his stories and poems also appeared in magazines such as Unknown and Whispers. His first book, The Werewolf of Ponkert (1958), was a collection of short stories.
Munn’s first novel, King Of The World’s Edge, was published in 1966; the story had previously appeared in Weird Tales. Twelve collections of his poetry were published between 1974 and 1979. Munn was interested in witchcraft and demonology, folklore, curios of all kinds, poetry, and ancient history, and he drew on his interests as sources for his writing. Munn liked to take an obscure fact as a foundation and use it to create fantastic situations and plots
Munn won a number of awards including the Henry Broderick Play Award at the Pacific Northwest Conference in 1970 and the Clarke Ashton Smith poetry award in 1977. He was a member of the Tacoma Writers Club and edited the club’s newsletter from 1966 to 1968. He died on January 10, 1981.