Lovecraft's Colleagues

[j. d. worthington]

Not the more famous ones we know about (though I'm certainly open to discussing these, too) such as Clark Ashton Smith, Robert E. Howard, Donald Wandrei, and the like; but the more obscure colleagues who nonetheless may have influenced him or his writing, such as W. Paul Cook, Rheinhart Kleiner, Samuel Loveman, Edith Miniter, and so on. Many of these were amateurs, some were professionals. But no few of them actually did worthwhile writing of their own, and some of these are now being brought out of the depths of literary obscurity into the light once again.

So... I'd be interested in knowing if anyone around would care to have a discussion on these (and other) writers. To be frank, this was prompted by the fact that Hippocampus Press is issuing a collection of the writings of Edith Miniter, an amateur colleagues for whom Lovecraft always expressed respect and admiration, and who had at least one fairly successful novel to her credit as well: Our Natupski Neighbors (1916):

Dead Houses & Other Works by Edith Miniter- Hippocampus Press

They also have a selection of writings by W. Paul Cook:

W. Paul Cook: The Wandering Life of a Yankee Printer - Hippocampus Press

as well as various others (such as Robert H. Barlow, Samuel Loveman, etc.).

So... anyone up for such a discussion? Does anyone know of other writers whose works would fit into this discussion? (As noted above, though I intended this to be for those lesser-known, his colleagues from WT and such would also make for some interesting discussion.) If so, feel free to get the ball rolling....

[ghyle]

There is Richard searight, whose son, Franklyn, is also a writer, and a friend of mine. NecroPress put out 2 volumes of a projected 3 of his work, and there is a small amount about him in the forthcoming Lovecrat poetic circle book.

[j. d. worthington]

I'm aware of Richard's connection, and the Necro press publication of HPL's letters to him; and of the book of Franklyn's tales published by Hippocampus, but wasn't aware of him as a poet. However, looking this up, this may be of interest to other Lovecraftians here, as well:

Lovecraftian Cliff Notes by Franklyn Searight

Looking further... my, I have been out of touch!

Thanks for bringing this to my attention, Phillip....

[Ningauble]

Originally Posted by j. d. worthington

So... anyone up for such a discussion?

Sure, could be fun. I haven't read much of them, though -- I've read Cook's Willis T. Crossman's Vermont (available from University of Tampa Press), and I've actually written a brief review of it. And I've started reading Barlow's Eyes of the God.

Does anyone know of other writers whose works would fit into this discussion?

Rheinhart Kleiner and Alfred Galpin, for example. But then you'd have to rely on the small selections published in the respective collections of HPL's letters to them.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Ningauble

Rheinhart Kleiner and Alfred Galpin, for example. But then you'd have to rely on the small selections published in the respective collections of HPL's letters to them.

True, but even that small selection is across a range of types of writing, and often had some connection with HPL himself...

[Ningauble]

Just wanted to point out that April 20 would have marked Donald Wandrei's 100th birthday. I hope Hippocampus Press can get Sanctity and Sin out before then -- it would be a nice gesture.

[j. d. worthington]

Originally Posted by Ningauble

Just wanted to point out that April 20 would have marked Donald Wandrei's 100th birthday. I hope Hippocampus Press can get Sanctity and Sin out before then -- it would be a nice gesture.

Indeed it would; I can't think of a more fitting one....

[ghyle]

And don't forget the Wandrei concordance which is coming out with it, on cd-rom.

[Ningauble]

Originally Posted by ghyle

And don't forget the Wandrei concordance which is coming out with it, on cd-rom.

Oh, I'll never forget that!

[j. d. worthington]

The selection of writings by Edith Miniter is now available:

Dead Houses & Other Works by Edith Miniter- Hippocampus Press

as is the complete collection of Wandrei's poems:

Sanctity and Sin: The Collected Poetry and Prose-Poems of Donald Wandrei - Hippocampus Press

For those who shy away from poetry (often because of the way poetry is taught in school, or because of the feeling of being inaccessible to readers often engendered by modern verse -- or to modern readers by darned near any verse, it seems) I'd highly recommend giving Wandrei's verse a go, as it is frequently intensely powerful and evocative. And, of course, for those who are fans of Lovecraft, there's the fact that Wandreis' sonnet sequence almost certainly had an influence on Lovecraft's own Fungi from Yuggoth (1929-30) as well....

[Lobolover]

Now this is what I meant.Miniter?Never heard of her.
Thats good.

[j. d. worthington]

Edith Miniter was one of HPL's amateur colleagues... though she had actually been a member of the 'dom long before HPL ever heard of it (some of her early work is represented in Truman J. Spencer's A Cyclopedia of the Literature of Amateur Journalism [1891], for example). She also wrote a novel, Our Natupski Neighbors, which was published professionally and garnered some critical acclaim. She was also the first, I believe, who wrote a tale spoofing HPL, "Falso Ossifracus", which is included in the book mentioned in my previous post. She helped provide HPL with some of the folklore that played a part in "The Dunwich Horror", as well....