Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters

Lovecraft, H. P.

ISBN 10: 1614982791 / ISBN 13: 9781614982791

Edité par Hippocampus Press, 2019

A propos de cet article

In Lord of a Visible World, the editors have amassed and arranged the letters of this prolific writer into the story of his life. The volume traces Lovecraft's upbringing in Providence, Rhode Island, his involvement with the pulp magazine Weird Tales, his short-lived marriage, and his later status as the preeminent man of letters in his field. In addition to conveying the candid details of his life, the volume also traces the evolution of his wide-ranging opinions. Lovecraft shows himself to be deeply engaged in the social, political, and cultural milieu of his time. The editors, two of the leading Lovecraft scholars, have meticulously edited the text, transcribing the letters from manuscript sources and supplying explanatory annotations throughout. Lord of a Visible World is of interest to both the general reader and the scholar, presenting for the first time a well-rounded portrait, in his own words, of a writer whose work has fascinated millions of readers.

N° de réf. du vendeur ABE-1736789760310

Détails bibliographiques

• Titre: Lord of a Visible World: An Autobiography in Letters
• Éditeur: Hippocampus Press
• Date de parution: 2019
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN à 10 chiffres: 1614982791
• ISBN à 13 chiffres: 9781614982791
• Reliure: Soft cover
• État de l'article: Very Good
• État de la jaquette: No Jacket

A propos de ce titre

Synopsis

H. P. Lovecraft's letters are among the most remarkable literary documents of their time, and they are a major reason why he has become such an icon in contemporary culture. He wrote tens of thousands of letters, some of them of great length; but more than that, these letters are incredibly revelatory in the depth of detail they provide for all aspects of his life, work, and thought.

This volume, first published in 2000, assembles generous extracts of Lovecraft's letters covering the entirety of his life, from childhood until his death. He tells of his youthful interests (poetry, Greco-Roman mythology, science), his childhood friends, and the "blank" period of 1908-13, after he dropped out of high school. He emerged from his hermitry in 1914 by joining the amateur journalism movement, where he became a leading figure and was involved in numerous literary and personal controversies.

In 1921 Lovecraft became acquainted with Sonia Greene, whom he would marry in 1924. By that time, he had begun publishing in the pulp magazine Weird Tales. But his marriage was a failure: living in New York, he was unable find a job and found the teeming city so different from the tranquility of his native Providence, R.I. Returning home in 1926, he embarked on a tremendous literary outburst, and over the next ten years wrote many of the stories that have ensured his literary immortality.

Lord of a Visible World is a riveting compilation that not only paints a full portrait of Lovecraft's life, writings, and philosophical beliefs, but features the piquant and engaging prose characteristic of his letters. In this new edition, the editors have updated all references to current editions of his work and also exhaustively revised their notes and commentary.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Introduction

[Biographical Notice]

I. Childhood and Adolescence (1890-1914)

II. Amateur Journalism (1914-1921)

III. Expanding Horizons (1921-1924)

IV. Marriage and Exile (1924-1926)

V. Homecoming (1926-1930)

VI. The Old Gentleman (1931-1937)

Appendix: Some Notes on a Nonentity

Glossary of Names

Further Reading

Index