S.T. Joshi
Io Sono Providence: la biografia di H.P. Lovecraft

The monumental biography of H.P. Lovecraft by S.T. Joshi concludes with the publication of the third volume of I Am Providence by the commendable Providence Press. It examines the period from 1928 to 2010, as even after the death of the Solitary of Providence, his impact on "popular" culture is extensively discussed up to the present day, and the eternal charm of his lanky figure is explored. The last years of Lovecraft's life are very important from many points of view: as a writer, he progressively reached the pinnacle of that cosmicism here defined as "Non-supernatural Cosmic Art." Lovecraft had codified a new canon that brought him closer to a sort of dark science fiction that no one in the future has ever truly emulated. Some still do not understand the scope of his art and detest his production. However, it was Jacques Bergier who came closer to the truth by aptly defining Lovecraft as "a cosmic Edgar Poe." The attempts by August Derleth (whose contribution to the dissemination of HPL's work through Arkham House is fundamental in any case) only succeeded in trivializing the Cthulhu Mythos through a dichotomy between good and evil with a Christian imprint that is as far from "Lovecraftian" thought as possible. In this latter period, Lovecraft would approach socialism, though in his own unique way. In any case, this does not mean, as I have recently read, that he would become even more left-wing in the future. Indeed, Lovecraft fundamentally remained a racist throughout his life, as S.T. Joshi himself writes and as Michel Houellebecq rightly pointed out in his excellent book H.P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life. But this honestly does not concern me. In the end, we are talking about writers and artists, and Lovecraft was one, and what remains is his work. I sincerely find all attempts to compartmentalize and ideologize it incorrect. He was certainly a conservative, and I find it difficult to think that he could become an extremist in one direction or the other. Therefore, it is very sad today to see how his figure is ostracized from various quarters in the name of "political correctness." The volume is also very interesting because of some considerations by S.T. Joshi on some of HPL's illustrious colleagues like Robert E. Howard and Clark Ashton Smith. Of Howard, he says

"My opinion, however, is that, even if the individual stories are exceptional (but none is on par with Lovecraft's best), most of Howard's works are simply above-average pulp writing."

With CAS, he is certainly no more indulgent. Here is his judgment:

"Like much of Howard's work, a large part of Smith's narratives is routine pulp work. Even Smith's stories provoke very different reactions. They are too ornate, almost beyond imagination, for some, beyond all endurance."

emphasizing how

"his plots tend to be simple, even banal."

You may agree or disagree, but Lovecraft was certainly superior to both. Some of Joshi's judgments on his stories, however, I disagree with. He finds a masterpiece like The Dunwich Horror banal and sees many flaws even in "The Whisperer in Darkness and The Dreams in the Witch House (one of my favorites), even though the latter is redeemed in his view by its "cosmicism" atmosphere. Ultimately, it is a compulsory purchase for all Lovecraft followers but also for those who finally want to get an idea of one of the most fascinating personalities of the last century.