Beyond the Mythos

[pugnacious]

Being an obsess'd Lovecraft fanboy, I was thrill'd to learn that Leslie Klinger has been ask'd by his publisher, Liveright/Norton, to do a second volume of New Annotated H. P. Lovecraft. This second volume will include many of what are call'd Lovecraft's "minor" tales--but some of those are among my faves, such as "The Hound," "Pickman's Model," "The Terrible Old Man," "The Outsider," and "Facts Concerning the Late Arthur Jermyn and His Family." He is calling the book NEW ANNOTATED H. P. LOVECRAFT: BEYOND THE MYTHOS, an interesting title. In his first volume he concentrated on stories in what he considers Lovecraft's Arkham/Cthulhu cycle. I think he means, by choosing this title, that these are more straight horror stories and some of the so-called "dream" stories.

Lovecraft has been getting criticized big-time at some forums, but none of his "bad press" seems to be having any effect on his world-wide book sales. He's more popular than ever. It rather freaks me out to think that he began to write his horror stories almoft one century ago! His ideas and writing often seem so modern to me--timeless. I don't have his style antiquated in any way, although I seem to be a minority in this. His influence grows and grows--I know of many forthcoming anthologies with Mythos themes and such.

I've been reading some new editions of Lovecraft's published letters, and he doesn't come across, to me, as the oddball so many people want to paint him as being. He seems like a very ordinary guy who had an extraordinary imagination. At the moment I am re-reading the Arkham House hardcover, The Horror in the Museum, and it's an enjoyable book--although I confess I find its title story somewhat silly, containing some of the most ridiculous dialogue I've ever read, such as "I am coming, O Rhan-Tegoth, coming with the nourishment. You have waited long and fed ill, but now you shall have what was promised." It just sounds so absurd and unrealistic. Still, an amusing story, yet more like something Derleth might have written than HPL.

[Repo'd]

Nice to meet you