The Recognition of H. P. Lovecraft: His Rise from Obscurity to World Renown

This uneven critical study from Lovecraft scholar Joshi (What Is Anything? Memoirs of a Life in Lovecraft) sets out to chart the landmark author’s publication history, and to assess critical reactions both during and after Lovecraft’s life. Short on the trenchant critiques and commentary Joshi excels at, the text bogs down in laundry lists that read more like an annotated bibliography than a useful guide for the nonacademic. For example, six pages list foreign translations from the 1990s and 2000s, with little discussion of why particular Lovecraft works were translated during this period. Those conversant with the ongoing debate of how to separate the creator from his creation in the light of Lovecraft’s racism won’t find Joshi’s dismissive treatment of the subject enlightening. At his best, Joshi goes into granular detail about how Lovecraft’s groundbreaking horror fiction was published, including such failures as the 1933 attempt to have a short story collection published by Knopf, but on the whole this volume falls short of its ambitions. Joshi’s admirers will hope for a return to form next time. (Dec.)