H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft was a fantasy / horror writer, best known for his works in the Cthulhu mythos — cosmic horror. He was married to (and then mostly separated from) Sonia Greene, a fellow writer and fan.

Lovecraft and politics

Lovecraft himself is often described as asexual or even misogynystic, based on his largely bachelor-like existence (living with two aunts most of his life, notwithstanding his brief marital home with Greene) and his writings, which evidence a mistrust of sexuality and a positive dearth of female characters. This assessment has been disputed, because Lovecraft maintained friendships with a number of female intellectuals (and early fans), including Sonia Greene. In one letter he also described discrimination against women as an "oriental" superstition from which "aryans" should free themselves. This was in keeping with Lovecraft's racism, which was overt and is indisputable.

Works

Of his numerous works, these are particularly interesting:

• "The Thing on the Doorstep" featuring Asenath Waite, a girl whose body has been taken over by a male wizard
• "The Dunwich Horror" featuring Lavinia Whateley who gives birth to a subhuman "horror"

Lovecraft's works have been largely published and republished by Arkham House, an independent press which was founded to bring attention to his works.

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