A Dreamer & A Visionary: H. P. Lovecraft in His Time

Rating:
Summary: A Providence Gentleman...
Review: "A Dreamer and A Visionary: H.P. Lovecraft in His Time" is one of the latest offerings from top Lovecraft scholar, S.T. Joshi. This is not an entirely new book, but a heavily edited and condensed version of his monumental 1996 biography "H.P. Lovecraft: A Life" published by Necronomicon Press.

For those persons who a) are new to Lovecraft and want to know more or b) are unable to obtain a copy of the sadly out of print
"H.P. Lovecraft: A Life", "A Dreamer and A Visionary" is well worth the price. Even those who own "H.P. Lovecraft: A Life" will
find this to be a nice companion volume.

Unlike many previous Lovecraft biographies, Joshi's works present a fair look at Lovecraft, warts and all, neither judging or lionizing him. "A Dreamer and A Visionary", like "Lord of A Visible World" and the annotated editions, is a most welcome addition to any Lovecraft library.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding biography of an important horror writer.
Review: "A Dreamer and A Visionary: H.P. Lovecraft in His Time" is one of the latest offerings from top Lovecraft scholar, S.T. Joshi. This is not an entirely new book, but a heavily edited and condensed version of his monumental 1996 biography "H.P. Lovecraft: A Life" published by Necronomicon Press.

For those persons who a) are new to Lovecraft and want to know more or b) are unable to obtain a copy of the sadly out of print
"H.P. Lovecraft: A Life", "A Dreamer and A Visionary" is well worth the price. Even those who own "H.P. Lovecraft: A Life" will
find this to be a nice companion volume.

Unlike many previous Lovecraft biographies, Joshi's works present a fair look at Lovecraft, warts and all, neither judging or lionizing him. "A Dreamer and A Visionary", like "Lord of A Visible World" and the annotated editions, is a most welcome addition to any Lovecraft library.

Rating:
Summary: An outstanding biography of an important horror writer.
Review: I highly recommend this book. Not only did I feel I was being personally introduced to Howard P. Lovecraft while reading it, I felt Joshi personally knew him. Of course he didn't, but after reading virtually everything in print (including manuscript archives by and about him), Joshi knew more about Lovecraft than most people know about their closest friends. I have never seen letters so well deployed to assemble the day to day, month to month activities and intellectual concerns of a historical figure. (Lovecraft wrote letters by the tons, and many were saved.) There is some discussion of the "weird fiction" Lovecraft wrote, with sometimes negative evaluations of its quality, but the key work gets enthusiastic and insightful brief evaluation, with further context based on the articles in the specialized journals that keep Lovecraft's critical reputation alive. Lovecraft is an acquired taste, but those of us who have acquired it owe Joshi a debt of gratitude. I never knew of Lovecraft's involvement with the amateur press organizations, or of his peripatetic travels across the east coast and parts of Canada he could easily get to. I think Joshi quite rightly attributes Lovecraft's premature death (at age 37) to a lifetime of poor nutrition, much of which was caused by near-poverty -- he never had a professional position, and lived hand to mouth on editing and rewriting of others' work, as well as meager pay for some publications (many of which weren't issued till after his death). His racism is discussed as a personal failing that doesn't undercut the author's other achievements. If that doesn't wash with you, I don't recommend the book. Otherwise, this is the go-to biography of one of the most unusual authors America has ever produced. My one quibble is that no pictures are provided, but they are available elsewhere.

Rating:
Summary: Lovecraft -- A Recluse, yet a Literary Savior!
Review: S.T. Joshi reigns as the No. 1 Lovecraft biographer! He details Lovecraft's life: from birth to death, every family member, every friend, proteges, what came of them, every story and poem (well almost every) he wrote, his first kiss, his marriage, the downsides and tremendous upsides to Howard, etc. Everyone has a flaw, and that Joshi details, but he fairly notes at least one honorable aspect of the worst people in Lovecraft's life. The epilogue made me weep invisible tears for him! I couldn't stand reading the last two chapters because I knew Lovecraft was inevitably bound to die! I couldn't bear it! For any, and EVERY, Lovecraft fanatic out there who wants to learn so much more about Lovecraft, this is a book to find! I feel zero regrets. I feel, though, that the editor should have caught the rather few conventional errors here and there, but completely aside from that--this is a biography totally worth reading. How many fans out there know the groundwork to Lovecraft's secret racism? The vast numbers of writers he alone inspired to become kings of the science fiction genre? His leagues of controversy that spanned across his life--from criticism, to astrology, to poetry, to literature, and to politics? Where did the Night-Gaunts ACTUALLY come from (oh yeah it's in there!)? You can feel Lovecraft's emotions through his letters in these sharp moments: when he's returning to his hometown after 2 full years away, screaming in English on his letter: "PROVIDENCE!!!!"

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was this soul that we all, in some shape or form buried in our collective unconscious, are so wonderfully obliged to feel this affinity for, whether logically racist or not. His imagination reverberates across our hearts from the feeling and tone in his letters, through Joshi's intense yet oh so subtle descriptions of what Lovecraft was trying to say and thinking throughout those moments. What it's like to lose your home at such a young and impressionable age, losing your marriage, wishing for that book to read your name on it to finally hit the book store shelves (but happens only once...), finding your favorite cat dead and writing an elegy about it, and how he must have felt when he transcended from this five-year-long hermit to become the most famous amateur journalist in America! Him and "the boys," his elite crew of writers, touring the streets of New York City all night long!

A masterpiece in its design! Joshi must have spent years researching Lovecraft's entire life! ONCE...you hit the end of that book......you are wondering where all the rest of the information is? YOU KNOW that there is some extra details out there--and you YEARN for it!--but where is it? It's THE END, and there's no other turn or corner. It's just one of those books that leaves you begging for more!!! I admit fairly, sometimes it gets a tad boring throughout the chapters, but those extreme moments in Lovecraft's life will keep you hooked. In the seas of dreams, Lovecraft sails ahead of us all...

Rating:
Summary: Stunning
Review: This is the best biography of Lovecraft available, not counting the full-sized first edition which, I believe, has more material. Unless you are a true completist, you won't need the pricier first edition to appreciate HPL because this book has much of the same material. Joshi clearly has great interest in his subject (always a bonus), and he's not afraid to write about HPL's greater faults, such as his life-long, unchangeable racist opinions and his apparent indifference and immaturity in his short married life. With the greatest care, Mr. Joshi provides an in-depth look into the mind and life of H.P.Lovecraft, the dreamer and genius whose works got little recognition in his time, save for the small circle of friends and admirers who were lucky enough to be his correspondents and early readers. Those who knew Lovecraft personally knew that he was someone special; those who only know him through his works but WISH they could have know him (myself included) rely on such excellent works as this for illumination and inspiration. In all, this is a stunning work about a fascinating, under-appreciated thinker whose works--both fiction and non--should be widely studied. Highly recommended.