Reviews

H. P. Lovecraft: Against the World, Against Life by Michel Houellebecq

kasmolenaar's review against another edition

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4.0

Houllebecq brengt H.P. Lovecraft op indrukwekkende wijze ten tonele, wat de mogelijkheid voor een benadering van de persoon mogelijk maakt. Intrigerend, confronterend en fascinerend.

p2rdik's review against another edition

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4.0

Kas nautisin Houellebecqi käsitlust Lovecraftist? Jah. Kas ma jooksen kohe edasi Lovecrafti lugema? Ei. Kui mul just mingi masohhistlik hoog peale ei tule ja seda süvendada ei taha.

finny's review against another edition

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informative reflective medium-paced

3.5

Un breve saggio che analizza la vita di un autore andando oltre ai classici parametri della biografia. 

myfawnwy's review against another edition

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challenging dark informative fast-paced

3.0

waxwingslane's review

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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.

tokoyami23's review against another edition

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informative inspiring reflective

4.0

mauro_german's review against another edition

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4.0

Muy buen ensayo sobre alguno de los temas "Tabu" del Maestro HP Lovecraft.

lecturasimpias's review against another edition

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4.0

El escritor y poeta francés Michel Houellebeck nos trae este breve ensayo sobre nuestro querido y simpático Howard Philips Lovecraft para el deleite de todos aquellos aficionados.

Este breve ensayo no es una biografía del autor, para eso ya tenemos la famosa obra de S.T. Joshi que recientemente y por primera vez se ha editado en nuestra lengua por Aurora Ediciones. Este libro es una breve explicación de porqué Lovecraft escribía como escribía. Nos sirve para entender un poco más de donde afloraban las ocurrencias del maestro del terror así como sus metáforas ocultas.

Michel ahonda en más temas como el estilo narrativo de Lovecraft, algunas vivencias que marcaron su vida y su obra, la estructura de sus relatos, autores afines, sus grandes obras... todo esto hace que los aficionados a H.P.L. no puedan dejar de leer este breve ensayo ya que les aportará beneficios a la hora de leer o releer sus relatos.

El prólogo de Stephen King no me parece que se encuentre a la altura del libro, pero en cualquier caso no está de más leérselo.

Recomendable.

adru's review against another edition

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Lovecraft on muidugi puhas lõbu ja nyyd julgeks peaaegu isegi Houellekaga tutvust teha.

sunnybopeep's review against another edition

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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.