The adventurer who created Tarzan

When can a fictional character lead to the ostracism of its creator? Generally, when its cultural impact transcends the original work and ... citizens recognize and identify it instantly, even without knowing the identity of the creator, thanks to the quality of the cultural product containing it, its exposure in the plot, the emotional connection it creates with readers, and above all, the global boost provided by successful advertising and dissemination. This is the case with 'Tarzan of the Apes' and Edgar Rice Burroughs, with the former known worldwide thanks to cinema and the latter undervalued due to the fame of his literary creation.

On the 150th anniversary of his birth, which occurs this Monday in September, the Chicago writer, successful in having millions of readers and, obviously, his proven narrative skills making him a very prolific author, is far from being listed in the cenotaph of letters where the great figures of American literature are found: Herman Melville, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Mark Twain, William Faulkner, F. Scott Fitzgerald, John Steinbeck, etc. He has not achieved this despite being one of the most read and prolific writers.

The dissemination and profits of the publishing industry, which Burroughs had in abundance, do not guarantee academic recognition despite possessing undeniable narrative qualities. Adding to this, the cinematic 'Tarzan of the Apes' (from the first 1918 version to the subsequent ones) is much softer and more moderate than the character created by the American author, characterized by greater complexity and intricacy, we can understand the chasm that separates the character in its dual aspect and the success on the big screen of a much more pleasant and flat figure.

The first approach to Tarzan ('Tarzan of the Apes') turned into a series of 24 adventure novels dedicated to the character and written between 1912 and 1965 ('The Return of Tarzan', 'The Son of Tarzan', 'Jungle Tales of Tarzan', etc.). However, despite the fascination with the character and the absorption of his own author by it, Burroughs was much more than the creator of one of the world's most famous icons.

Author of a broad body of work that includes numerous volumes dedicated to science fiction, a genre that defined him as a writer; novels about the old west, historical tales, and numerous untimely and inappropriate texts, his inspiration came from a turbulent life in which he was a soldier in the Seventh Cavalry Regiment at Fort Grant, searched for gold in California, was a cowboy, salesman, accountant, and war correspondent, complemented by numerous readings of adventure magazines, the so-called "pulp fictions".

Burroughs' second most extensive and famous series was the 'Martian Series' ('A Princess of Mars', 'Gods of Mars', and nine others), followed by the 'Venus Series' ('Pirates of Venus', 'Lost on Venus', etc.), the 'Pellucidar Series' ('At the Earth's Core', 'Back to the Stone Age', etc.), the 'Caspak Series' ('The Land That Time Forgot', 'The People That Time Forgot', etc.), the 'Moon Series', and other science fiction works like 'The Lost Continent', 'The Monster Men', and 'Beyond the Farthest Star'. Alongside, he wrote adventure novels in the jungle like 'The Eternal Savage', westerns like 'The War Chief', historical novels like 'I Am a Barbarian', and many other literary works, as reported by El Correo.

Burroughs' work includes copious texts, close to 90 books, numerous press articles, and many other publications. The storyteller was also a great innovator and entrepreneur, managed his own work, created his publishing house, and administered the sales and advertising of the same. The visionary audacity of the American writer was reflected in a clear connection with the readers of his time and with a great appeal for current generations. This communion was also achieved with dynamic and decisive prose; with stories and descriptions that transported readers to entirely new worlds; with boundless imagination; with entertainment linked to values such as love, kindness, justice, loyalty, nobility, and respect for nature; and finally, with illuminations and dreams that anticipated avant-garde scientific and social ideas for his time.