H. P. Lovecraft

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"I tell you, I have struck depths that your little brain can't picture. I have seen beyond the bounds of infinity and drawn down demons from the stars... I have harnessed the shadows that stride from world to world to sow death and madness... Space belongs to me, do you hear?" - "From Beyond"

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American author of horror, suspense, and fantasy stories, including many works in the aptly named "weird fiction" genre. [1] He is best known as the creator of the Cthulhu mythos, which figure prominently in many of his stories.

Much of Lovecraft's writing is concerned with the post-Enlightenment horrors of cosmic irrelevance and the idea that civilization is fragile and fleeting. Many misunderstand the common theme of people going mad upon seeing some nameless beast in his work; the idea is that sanity is the denial of the true nature of the world, not that the monster is just that scary.

Lovecraft is considered to be one of the most influential horror authors of the twentieth century. His writing and style have been instrumental in inspiring writers in all fields not to mention many imitators. Notable authors who have owed their success and inspiration to Lovecraft include Alan Moore, Stephen King, Clive Barker and Robert E. Howard (the creator of Conan the Barbarian) to name just a few.

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[edit] Viewpoints

Lovecraft had a laundry list of phobias. Besides drawing inspiration for his work from his dreams, the greater part of his work was also influenced by his fears of women, foreigners, people of color, and seafood. He was a raging racist even by the standards of his time (which is kind of saying something).

Many of his works espoused the sanctity of the Anglo-Saxon people while condemning miscegenation and decrying other races and ethnicities, especially Asians, whom he was convinced would conquer the world. Notable works where he openly displayed his racism include The Street, The Horror at Red Hook, and his obscure poem On the Creation of Niggers.[2]

Lovecraft was also very open about his views in essays and the hundreds of letters he wrote during his lifetime. Besides his usual racism and misogyny, Lovecraft revealed he was very supportive of fascism, white supremacy, aristocracies and elitism. He believed a society that implemented elements of all that, plus a generous dose of socialism, would create an ideal society to live in.

What's even more surprising, considering the previous facts, is that he greatly despised the American Republican Party. In a 1936 letter to fellow science fiction writer C. L. Moore, Lovecraft said that their ideas and beliefs deserved "the tolerance and respect one gives to the dead.”[3] Of course, the Republican Party's policies were very different at the time (the Democrats were the party of Jim Crow, for instance).

Likewise he apparently wasn't a fan of the Democratic Party either as a lesser known 1929 letter to Woodburn Harris shows.[4] Despite also showing a dislike for them he liked them enough to show support for Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the New Deal.[5]

Amazingly, despite his racism and showing strong Anti-Semitism, he married a Jewish woman, Sonia Greene. The two collaborated on a story The Horror at Martin's Beach and for a time lived together in New York City, something Lovecraft came to hate due to the city's tolerance of numerous foreign ethnicities and immigrants. The marriage unsurprisingly didn't last, collapsing after a mere two years.[6]

Whatever else he was, Lovecraft wrote great horror stories and lavished affection upon his black pet cat whom he named Nigger-Man and makes a guest appearance in his short story The Rats in the Walls.[7]

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