Carl Richard Jacobi

Carl Richard Jacobi was an author and Minneapolis resident throughout his entire life. Considered phenomenal by contemporaries such as H.P. Lovecraft, Jacobi's writing spanned from pulp fiction to journalism to horror. Jacobi wrote stories at every stage of his life. In high school, he wrote and shared dime novels with other students. At the University of Minnesota, he majored in English Literature and sold his first detective story Rumbling Cannon to Secret Service Stories publishing company. Unfortunately, the publisher folded soon after the sale and the novella brought Jacobi no money. After graduating in 1930, Jacobi worked for the Minneapolis Star. He was a news reporter, sub-editor, and reviewer of plays and books. He didn't stay there long, though, and returned to full-time fiction writing. His most successful works included The Unpleasantness at Carver House, which author Don Herron called a "ghoulish tale of horror and madness?A feeling of unease pervades the story, and its many macabre implications prey on the imagination,". In 1942, Jacobi's parents fell ill, and he began working for Honeywell Inc., writing in his spare time. It was around this time the Jacobi was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease. As the disease progressed through the years, it became more difficult for him to communicate. His final work was titled Smoke of the Snake and was published in 1994. According to his friend and editor Dwayne Olson, Jacobi had plenty of stories in his head, but could no longer get the words out. Three years after his last publishing, Jacobi passed away at age eighty-nine. Carl Richard Jacobi was one of many short story authors from Minnesota. He never left Minneapolis and was a founding member of the Minneapolis Fantasy Society. His works have been praised and critiqued throughout the ages, but his dedication to his craft never wavered. His work tended to remain in the genres of horror, fantasy, and sci-fi. Many of the settings were inspired by his cabin at Minnewashta in Carver County.