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finny's review against another edition
informative
reflective
medium-paced
3.5
Un breve saggio che analizza la vita di un autore andando oltre ai classici parametri della biografia.
waxwingslane's review
5.0
Certainly a better analysis of H. P. Lovecraft’s literary themes than biography of his life, and Lovecraft is not so abstruse that one would need a separate text to understand his work. There are still some interesting parts, namely Houllebecq’s summary of Lovecraft’s racism, contempt for modernity, and disregard for sex and money, both in his life and his books, and they are what make this biography worth reading, though they might have worked better as an introduction to a collection of Lovecraft’s short stories.
adru's review against another edition
Lovecraft on muidugi puhas lõbu ja nyyd julgeks peaaegu isegi Houellekaga tutvust teha.
sunnybopeep's review against another edition
3.0
Houellebecq’s essays on Lovecraft were good in the way an exceptionally well-written school report on an author is good. He adds a little bit of insight and analysis, and Houellebecq is always a delight to read. Lovecraft, on thé other hand, seems to have been a horrible, evil man. I mean, I think when someone enthusiastically supports the genocide of “inferior races,” that’s reason enough to label them as being evil. The inclusion of two of Lovecraft’s stories at the back of the book was great for me, since I had never previously read any of his work. The Whisperer in the Darkness was pretty good. It had an Algernon Blackwood kind of pacing and structure to it. The first story reminded me a lot of Arthur Machen, who, if memory serves me right, is also referenced in it.
lauren708's review
3.0
This was good. Overall, I kind of wanted more in the way of Lovecraft's life and inner-workings, but at the same time this is an essay and not explicitly a biography. The stories included are "Call of Cthulhu and "Whisperer in Darkness".
lintkaurea's review against another edition
4.0
Tras una introducción brillante de Stephen King, Houellebecq presenta un ensayo que hizo antes de publicar sus novelas. Disecciona la vida de Lovecraft desde un punto de vista bastante aséptico, ilustrando sus rarezas, sus defectos y sus obsesiones. Explica la alienación que le produjo la vida en Nueva York, el desempleo y en general el fracaso vital de HPL, que solo triunfó literariamente tras morir. Normal que soñara con esos monstruos. Lo difícil era plasmarlos tan bien en papel.