From School Library Journal
Grade 7 Up-Fans of supernatural horror fiction whose favorite authors frequently cite Lovecraft as an important influence on their writing may find this slim volume of interest. A charming sponger who never achieved the success he craved or the critical approval he felt he deserved, Lovecraft suffered through long and repeated bouts of depression throughout his life. Schoell treats all of this, as well as the writer's often-expressed racist and anti-Semitic sentiments, his short-lived marriage, and his erratic literary career. The descriptions of his work may motivate teens to seek out some of his stories (which may prove a challenge for librarians to locate). Small, black-and-white photos appear throughout. Not an essential purchase by any standard, this book will nonetheless be useful where horror fiction is in demand.
Elaine Fort Weischedel, Millbury Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Elaine Fort Weischedel, Millbury Public Library, MA
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
From Booklist
Gr. 5-8. Lovecraft cemented his reputation as the master of the macabre with such adult works as At the Mountains of Madness and The Cats of Ulthar . Now comes a volume for young readers that examines the quirky life of the writer himself, and many of the people and events that influenced his dark, surreal tales. Schoell traces Lovecraft's path from the life of privilege he led as a youngster through the deaths of his father and grandparents, which plunged Lovecraft into poverty. He then follows Lovecraft's erratic lifestyle--his numerous attempts at literary acclaim, the generosity of friends and family who periodically housed and sustained him, his brief marriage of convenience to a woman of means, and, finally, the inferior film adaptations of his stories, and resurgent interest in his work during the late 1970s. Concise and well researched, the book also provides a glimpse at the sometimes-torturous creative process and drives home the literal meaning of suffering for one's art. Terry Glover
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved
