Interview with Howard Phillips Lovecraft

We are here again with a new and very interesting interview conducted with one the most famous horror authors in the world. This interview is also invented, because the author we just interviewed died in 1937. We are speaking about Mr. Howard Phillips Lovecraft, still today another unchallenged American horror writer after Edgar Allan Poe and before Stephen King. On the stream of success and interest arisen from two other invented interviews with Oscar Wilde and Edgar Allan Poe, Advicesbooks, the international website of book reviews, translations and promotions, decided to present to its readers another useful imaginary interview with another famous author of the past. The interview was conducted by the book reviewer, writer and translator Rosalba Mancuso, upon some biographical information about Mr. Lovecraft and by studying his behavior and life carefully. In this interview,  Mr. Lovecraft will provide useful tips for modern aspiring authors. We advice to read it very carefully since the author will say some things who he never told no-one.

Mr. Lovecraft, what is for you writing?
Writing saved my life during my hard years of anxiety and depression.

Why were you so much depressed?
My mental illness was probably due to genetic causes because my father was confined in a mental hospital when I was three years old only.

Do you think there is a close relationship with your talent and your depression?
I don’t know about this, since I am not a doctor. I only know that when I wrote my tales I felt as a normal person.

I know you were raised by an oppressive and authoritarian mother and all this led you live a lonely existence. Maybe your depression was due to your mother.

I loved my mom very much, really, but yes, it is probable my depression was also due to her.

Undoubtedly, your parents gave you (also for genetic reasons) a strong talent for writing.
Yes, I think so, also.

Why did you love horror stories?
This is another question I can’t reply exactly. I just know that my writing desire came from my deeper self and that I had to pull it out of me to express my creativity and therein myself.

Many critics say that you are the direct heir of Edgar Allan Poe. Is it true?
Those critics who say this don’t know me really. My horror tales are fully different from those of Mr. Poe.

Which is the difference?
Poe was more poetic in his tales and with a touch of mystery in nearly all his stories. I was more macabre, with a hint of science-fiction and supernatural inside every tale I wrote. My tales told about strange monsters, ghosts and creepy houses and mountains or strange medical experiments.

If your stories were so compelling and interesting, why didn’t you manage to be successful during your life?

At my time, writers had only a chance to be successful: write for literary magazines. Habits and trends were not as outlined as today. Furthermore, I was a very shy guy and I didn’t like to have friendships with my publishers. Because of my shyness, I got my first publishing job at 31 years old. My illness, namely my anxiety and depression was another reason of my unsuccessful career as a writer. Here is the reason for which I advise to pursue a writing career with no anxiety and depression. Mental illnesses never help authors and writers to be successful.

What do you think about self-publishing?
This is only a modern way to publish books. The negative side of this way is that good and bad books coexist simultaneously. Today it is impossible to spot a best seller inside of billions self-published books.

And so, you believe the best is always traditional publishing?
Yes, I believe this from the bottom of my heart.

What do you think about paid book reviews?

This is one of the many controversial sides of literature.
A review is always an opinion that readers give after reading a book. But they can decide when to give it or not. If an author wants instead to get his book reviewed at any cost, I believe it is right to hire a professional book reviewer. A paid book review, especially with the high number of self-published books, is a good way to know if an author wrote a good or a bad book.

Do you want to recommend some your books to our readers?

Sure. My most famous titles are still today published by international publishers. Readers can buy them on Amazon. Anyway, my most celebrated and acclaimed story is The Call of Cthulhu , commonly known as Cthulhu Mythos.

I prefer Herbert West – Reanimator !
Oh, thanks for having reminded me! I hope your readers will also read this tale.

Thank you Mr. Lovecraft for your kind and sincere interview!

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H._P._Lovecraft

Rosalba Mancuso

Rosalba Mancuso is the journalist, born in Sicily, who founded three online magazines in English. On Advicesbooks Book Reviews, Rosalba shows her great passion for books, helping readers and book lovers choose and buy the best books she read and reviewed. She also worked as a contributor for printed publications and online magazines and as a bilingual Italian-English writer. Here, Rosalba also offers room to authors and publishers who want to get their books reviewed through the voice of an avid reader like her. You must also know that this book review magazine lives thanks to your help. Rosalba, in fact, earns a small commission, with no cost for you, when you buy books through the affiliate links you find in her book reviews. This book review magazine is also funded by services of editorial reviews and book press releases.