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Friday, August 21, 2015

Once again on H.P. Lovecraft and the Narragansett Beer Scandal

Wall Street Journal celebrates H.P. Lovecraft 's birthday  Fans of H.P. Lovecraft could also celebrate his work by paying some attention to his many letters. They make it clear that he was a convinced socialist in the last years of his life.He would never sell out to writer market temptations. It is ironic that Narragansett Beer is now shamelessly capitalizing on his post-mortem fame and that American Gothic face. In fact it would make more biographical sense to put that face on a can of Campbell's Soup- a staple in his diet while living in genteel poverty in his beloved Providence. Lovecraft's collected letters reveal his contempt for ALL alcoholic beverages.
Although many of his fans associate him with the occult, Lovecraft was in fact a hard core scientific materialist.But even science could not spare us from very real COSMIC HORROR.
Lovecraft biographer S.T. Joshi has defended him against the charge of crude racism. There was not a mean bone in his body ( which was almost ghoulishly removed from Swan Point Cemetery).
My favorite Lovecraft tale is " The Outsider ". If Lovecraft were alive today, I have no doubt that he would favor " socialist " Bernie Sanders of Vermont- another New England gentleman and " outsider ".

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