Contro la religione. Gli scritti atei di HP Lovecraft

by H.P. Lovecraft, S.T. Joshi (Curatore), Christopher Hitchens (Prefazione)

La fama di H.P. Lovecraft cresce costantemente nel tempo, e allo stesso modo cresce l'apprezzamento dei suoi lettori. Tuttavia, non molti di loro sono a conoscenza del suo conclamato ateismo e della sua lontananza dalla religione, che il creatore di tanti mondi inesistenti ribadiva in numerose occasioni. Questo libro contiene dunque gli scritti - pubblici e privati - in cui Lovecraft si è interrogato sulla funzione della religione, sul suo rapporto con la scienza, la realtà e l'indifferenza del cosmo, sulle ragioni della sua scelta atea. Non senza avanzare tesi a volte estremiste, a volte superate, a volte incredibilmente attuali. E spesso controverse, in perfetta coerenza con la sua personalità. Questa traduzione colma quindi un grande vuoto, e sarà senz'altro apprezzata da tutti coloro che hanno amato i romanzi e i racconti del grande scrittore. Forse li ameranno ancora di più, una volta conosciuto il suo universo filosofico.

Genres: Nonfiction, Religion, Atheism, History

346 pages, Paperback

First published April 21, 2010

About the author

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.

Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.

Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe.
See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

— Wikipedia

Reviews

[Krell75 · Rating 4 out of 5]

H.P.L. non è solo il creatore dell' Horror cosmico ma un fine pensatore della sua epoca.

Lettere chilometriche indirizzate ai suoi conoscenti scrittori su questioni filosofiche a difesa dell' ateismo.

L' ateismo di Lovecraft non si ferma al semplice rifiuto di Dio, ma si estende a una visione del posto insignificante dell'umanità nell'universo ed è alla base del suo pessimismo cosmico: l'idea che l'universo sia vasto, incomprensibile, e soprattutto, indifferente all'esistenza e alle preoccupazioni umane. Non c'è alcuno scopo o significato divino, solo il caso e il caos.

Un autore sempre assolutamente sorprendente.

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H.P.L. is not only the creator of cosmic horror but also a discerning thinker of his time.

He wrote endless letters to his writer acquaintances on philosophical questions in defense of atheism.

Lovecraft's atheism doesn't stop at a simple rejection of God, but extends to a vision of humanity's insignificant place in the universe and is the basis of his cosmic pessimism: the idea that the universe is vast, incomprehensible, and above all, indifferent to human existence and concerns. There is no divine purpose or meaning, only chance and chaos.

An author who is always utterly surprising.

[MKF · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love Cthulhu (all you have to do is see my Cthulhu collection)even though the stories are a bit difficult to read and most of the time they're boring. Reading this book I discovered a new side of H.P. Lovecraft's writing and I absolutely love it. Though some of his ideas are a bit strange and some is tad outdated a lot of it I agreed with and aligns with what I believe. I now wish Lovecraft had written non-fiction books instead of short stories especially ones on religion and philosophy. This is a book is probably the best book I'll read this year and plan on adding to my library.

[James · Rating 5 out of 5]

Insightful letters from the horror author H. P. Lovecraft that give his various views related to religion. Not only does this collection of letters give us a good view of Lovecraft’s own worldview, it also gives a good historical account of early twentieth-century Anglo atheism in general. Some of his arguments are somewhat laughable today, or their coherency isn’t as strong as the rhetoric pretends. But there is no doubt that Lovecraft gave much time and attention to his views and thus they were fully informed for his time.

Lovecraft is one of the greatest horror authors of all time. This collection of letters gives much explanation for the aesthetic depth of his fiction. Recommend!

[Jaron Olstad · Rating 5 out of 5]

Before reading this collection of essays and letters, I found Lovecraft to be dull and lazy. His lack of descriptions of the horrors his characters witness irked the hell out of me. But this... this book, finally let me see where he was coming from. There's nothing lazy and dull about the constantly checking of ones sanity against the insanity of the worlds experienced through his works. Throughout, he makes evident that while being an atheist in practice he is an agnostic in theory. Who can say for certain, with undeniable proof, that these "stories" of his has no truth behind it; or maybe I've strayed too close to a certain mountain for too long.

[Richard Lawrence · Rating 4 out of 5]

Christopher Hitchens wrote the forward to the book and after reading it I can see which of Lovecraft's arguments he incorporated into his debates. Well worth the read.