Today, March 9, is the birthday of Novalyne Price Ellis (1908-1999). Novalyne dated Robert E. Howard during the last two years of his life.
She kept a diary while they were dating, and it was published under the title One Who Walked Alone. It was filmed in the nineties as The Whole Wide World. The movie starred Vincent D’Onofrio as Robert E. Howard and Renee Zelwegger as Novalyne.
Without Novalyne’s diary/book, our understanding of Howard’s final years would be must less complete than it is now.
I think she was in some ways a stabilizing influence on his life, especially as Hester Howard’s health declined. Sadly, their relationship wasn’t stable enough for her to be there for him when his mother died.
I don’t mean that last sentence to be a form of blame for his suicide. I’m not sure that could have been avoided. And that sort of speculation isn’t a game I’m interested in playing tonight. So, raise a glass to Novalyne Price Ellis tonight if you’re so inclined.
I’ll add my two cents and recommend “The Whole Wide World,” and its wonderful soundtrack which sounds like a score for a sweeping romance with a happy ending. Which the movie is not.
I own a (now water-damaged) Grant edition of OWWA. Novalyne was honest, IMO. REH had “suicidal ideations” fairly early on. I don’t blame Novalyne. The book is a gold (well, maybe silver) mine of insights into Howard’s views on things ranging from Belit to Alexander.