For the Love of the Craft

Howard Phillips Lovecraft. A mention of his name draws imagery of dark, brooding places, strange occurrences, and tentacles. He’s regarded as the father of Cosmic Horror, and a master of the genre - one like no other. But, in the wake of a modern reckoning with racial justice, his name and works are under scrutiny, because it’s no secret that he was a raging racist and xenophobe. So why do we still bother with his works?

H. P. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island at the end of the 19th century in Providence, Rhode Island. Both of his parents ended up in mental hospitals and subsequently died there. He was also constantly struggling to find work,

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Lovecraft wrote over 100 stories

 although most of Lovecraft’s life was spent writing short stories for pulp magazines and genre publications, often under pseudonyms.

His work was heavily criticized in his day, and he barely made a living, relying heavily on his wife’s money to get by.

He died penniless.

Although the man could have fallen into obscurity, his works, like Edgar Allan Poe’s, drew more and more attention as technological advances brought the possibility of exploring the unknown to the forefront of cultural awareness. So, too, did his numerous letters to friends and loved ones surface, making obvious his racist and xenophobic views. But his racism wasn’t simply relegated to private conversations with friends and family (which would be bad enough) - he had a cat until 1904 that he named “N -word Man”.

It wasn’t until many years later that his works began to gain recognition, after a collected works anthology was released, at a time when there was much curiosity into science fiction and universal mysteries. Neither his estate nor his family have profited from the success of his works because by the time these became significantly popular they were in the public domain. And although he and his estate are not profiting from his work, many are wondering why his works are so popular considering his heinous views.

A famous photograph of H.P. Lovecraft

 The question about separating the works of many popular and historical figures from their creators has been a hot-button issue for decades. Many people question whether the works of a “bad” person should ever receive the time of day. But oftentimes it’s impossible to ignore the work of people like George Washington despite the fact that he owned slaves. That fact doesn’t change the great things Washington did for the country as a whole.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Was also an incredibly influential historical figure who paved the way for the advancement of civil rights in our country, but he was infamous for his treatment of women. The fact that he aided a rapist to cover up his crimes is infuriating, but it is overlooked because of his achievements in racial relations.

William Shakespeare may have been an anti-Semite, but we celebrate his works as the greatest in the English language in history; Michael Jackson was accused of child molestation, but he’s still hailed as the King of Pop; Ray Charles and Johnny Cash were also terrible with women, but their music fills the airwaves to this day; Mike Tyson is a convicted rapist, but he is hailed as one of the greatest boxers of all time; and Roman Polanski is wanted for sexual abuse of a minor after providing her with a cocktail of drugs, but he won Academy Awards and other prizes for his directorial works. He’s still living in France, and still wanted in connection with that case.

H. P. Lovecraft was recently awarded a Retrospective Hugo Award 1945 for best series for the Cthulhu Mythos collection. There is an uproar in the Twitter verse about this because of his personal flaws, but we’re holding him to current 2020 standards and ignoring what things were like and what was acceptable in his day. But barring this, we must keep in mind that the man is not what is being celebrated - the work is. And that work does not include any racist, anti-Semitic, or homophobic elements. It can be argued that many of his stories reflect his xenophobic views, and are somewhat allegorical. If we jam out to “Billy Jean” or “Thriller”, it doesn’t mean we’re celebrating child abuse.

Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

A rare photograph of Lovecraft smiling

An Amazon series titled “Lovecraft Country” based on a novel is currently trending. It features an all-black cast, and the series promises to confront Lovecraft’s racist views in some way, while celebrating the importance of his work.

In the end, racists and bigots like H.P. Lovecraft may take over and wipe out all minorities in our country - but it’s more likely that Cthulhu will take our world over and send us into eternal darkness. But none of those things can take away from the genius of Lovecraft’s works. It boils down to being able to appreciate a creation for what it is, barring the history or lifestyle of the creator. And, for the love of the craft, the Cthulhu Mythos deserves to live on despite its origins.