The Father of Sword and Soul

The Father of Sword and Soul

From Imaginary Worlds by Eric Molinsky | Daylight Media

May 20, 2026 · 38 min

About this episode

The episode discusses Charles R. Saunders' creation of the sword and soul subgenre and the contemporary movement among Black fantasy writers to reclaim his legacy.

Charles R. Saunders loved Tarzan as a kid, but he was also repulsed by the racism in those books since Charles was Black. So he created a counter narrative about a warrior named Imaro who lived in a fictionalized version of precolonial Africa. Charles had invented a new subgenre of sword and sorcery that he called sword and soul. His books were groundbreaking in the 1980s, but he was also way ahead of his time. I talk with Milton Davis, Sheree Renée Thomas and Troy Wiggins about a movement among Black fantasy writers today to reclaim Charles and his work. I also talk with journalist Jon Tattrie, who wrote a biography about Charles called To Leave a Warrior Behind. This episode is sponsored by IngramSpark. Get 15% off your first order of 15 more books at IngramSpark using the code IMAGINARY15. This offer expires at the end of the year. To support the show, you can donate on Patreon where you get access to the ad-free version and our companion show Between Imaginary Worlds. Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices

People in this episode

Host: Eric Molinsky

Guests: Milton Davis, Sheree Renée Thomas, Troy Wiggins

Topics covered

  • sword and sorcery
  • Black fantasy writers
  • counter narratives
  • racism in literature
  • precolonial Africa
  • Charles R. Saunders

Keywords

  • sword and soul
  • fantasy
  • Charles R. Saunders
  • Imaro
  • Black literature
  • racism
  • sword and sorcery

Sponsors

IngramSpark

Mentioned in this episode

Books & works: To Leave a Warrior Behind, Imaro

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