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Howard Phillips (H.P.) Lovecraft, while not a "good" author, was undebatably one of the most influential authors of the 20th century, and one whose writing has gained significance in the decades after his death. While he most certainly was a pulp author, this does not bear any relevance to his importance today.
Although his writing itself is overly wordy and frequently inaccessible, the ideas his stories presented served as an inspiration to the subsequent generations of artists the world over. H.G. Wells and Jules Verne may have been the fathers of science-fiction, and Edgar Allan Poe may have been the father of modern horror, but certianly these fields of literature could not have been the same without the contributions of H.P. Lovecraft.
Lovecraft was a pioneer of a science-fiction concept which later authors call "cosmicism". Cosmicism is an idea that the universe is far too large and complex to adhere to scientific or rational modes of thought and that humanity-- indeed the Earth itself-- is insignificant in the grand scale of things. Humanity's view of reality is tiny and fragmented due to the fact that the human mind can only comprehend so much before going mad. Beings that can maintain any level of comprehension of, much less exert control over the universe, therefore, are referred to as "gods" -- for only a god could have such power. Not to be confused with nihilism, cosmicism stresses insignificance rather than meaninglessness. Douglas Adams made use of cosmicism in the Hitch Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy series, but in a manner intended to satirize human arrogance.
Lovecraft's style aped that of late- and post-Victorian writing. He cited Wilde, Hawthorne and Blackwood as influences-- but most particularly Poe, who clearly had a strong influence on the young Lovecraft. H.P. suffered from a poor constitution throughout his life, thus Poe's tales of mortality and horror; the macabre and fantastic obviously struck a nerve. The vast majority of Lovecraft's stories revolved around these themes. Lovecraft remarked that his writings play up on the basic human fear of the unknown, and described his writing as "atmospheric horror". He differed from contemporaries by focusing on the sensations of horror the narrators felt regarding their surroundings or encounters, and frequently wrote about the sensations associated with the loss of sanity. Lovecraft's monsters are similarly amorphous and atmospheric, frequently described as "indescribable".
His quality of writing went downhill during the latter part of his career, for several reasons. First, Lovecraft developed a rare form of cancer that led to his death in 1937, which resulted in an addiction to opiates and an obsession with his dreams. Second, Lovecraft developed somewhat of a cult following amongst the readers of pulp fiction. Many of these clamored for more of what he referred to as his "Yog-Sothothery" -- tales of a mythos featuring uncaring, monolithic deities, their insane followers and the humans who inadvertently encounter one, the other or both. (Click "CTHULHU" for more on the Mythos). As with many artists who become popular for one specific creation, each futher iteration along these lines became more forced and caricaturized until these stories became more or less unreadable.
Lovecraft encouraged his fans to write him; in fact, he made a habit of striking up collaborations with some of his more skilled followers such as Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith and August Derleth. Howard was perhaps the most famous of these fan-collaborators, as his "Conan: The Barbarian" and "Solomon Kane" franchises became vastly popular. Howard and Lovecraft wrote together until Howard's suicide in 1936. Another contemporary was August Derleth, another pulp author, who wrote largely detective fiction until his encounter with Lovecraft. After Lovecraft's death, Derleth became executor of Lovecraft's literary estate and re-published anthologies of Lovecraft's works during the 1960s. Other authors have built upon the Lovecraftian stories, particularly the Mythos, and anthologies expanding this genre continue to be published today.
Perhaps of more fame than even himself is NECRONOMICON, or the "Book of the Dead". This fictional tome of sorcery has gained so much public recognition it has transcended synonymity with Lovecraft and his Mythos and gone on to films, music and literature featuring it alone. NECRONOMICON is practically a character in its own right and has featured in a film of the same title and heavily in Sam Raimi's "Evil Dead" series of films.
Even during Lovecraft's life NECRONOMICON took on cult significance. . Lovecraft claimed it was entirely fictional, a literary invention; but that did not stop generations of obsessed fans, students, researchers and book collectors searching for it. Pranksters have even gone so far as to place phony references to NECRONOMICON in the card catalogues of various libraries worldwide. Public demand for this book grew so great that it now really does exist, having been printed in different forms by different publishers. All claim to be the "original" -- but are really just a mish-mash of Mesopotamian mythology, Satanism and Crowley witchcraft.
Don't believe me? Buy a copy and see for yourself...
For more info:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Simon_Necronomicon
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Necronomicon
Lovecraft had a profound effect upon popular culture and it is littered with references to his stories. All genres of science-fiction, fantasy and horror owe a debt to him, but particularly writing. Authors such as Stephen King, Anne Rice, Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett openly acknowledge his influence. His influence is not limited to writing, however. Visual artists such as H.R. Giger (creator of "Alien"), acknowlege Lovecraft. Still further, the field of popular music owes much to Lovecraft. Bands such as "Metallica", "Black Sabbath" and the eponymous "H.P. Lovecraft" wrote songs based on Lovecraft's stories. Finally, around a dozen feature films have been made based on various writings: "Re-Animator", "Dagon", "From Beyond" and "Necronomicon"; not to mention the wildly popular "Evil Dead" series.
For more information on H.P. Lovecraft, visit http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H.P._Lovecraft
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