H.P. LOVECRAFT:

AGAINST THE WORLD, AGAINST LIFE

written by Michel Houellebecq

translated into English by Dorna Khazeni

introduction by Stephen King

fiction by H.P. Lovecraft

published by McSweeney’s Believer Books

ISBN-10: 1932416188

ISBN-13: 978-1932416183

reviewed by Adam Armstrong

3.16.09

What a fascinating look into a horror behemoth.

Part biography, part critical analysis; Houellebecq’s Against the World, Against Life digs deep into one of the greatest, horror writers of all time. Houellebecq explains that Lovecraft’s monsters were representations of his own hatreds and racism that came to light when he moved to New York City in his short-lived marriage; that a man who was extremely anti-modern and a pronounced anglophile would see a city such as New York as tremendously terrifying and full of alien monstrosities.

I, like many others, have felt that tremendous pang of emptiness when you finish reading the last Lovecraft story. You demand more while knowing that not only is there no more: there will never be anything like it again. Houellebecq brings up a few interesting points that slipped by me the first time I read Lovecraft, such as the fact that sex and money are never mentioned in any Lovecraft story, though they take up a tremendous amount of time in our thoughts throughout the centuries. Also he points out how Lovecraft truly shined when he was describing architecture though he has always been known for his non-humanoid creatures and pantheon of gods. There is a nifty introduction by the current reigning horror king that is worth the price of the book by itself.

If you are a fan of Lovecraft or want to find out what all the hullabaloo is about pick up a copy. I have to caution die-hard fans not to read the two collected Lovecraft tales. I made that mistake and constantly find my mind and eyes drifting to all those Lovecraft books over on the shelf, begging to be reread.

5 out of 5