Lost Carcosa

How does one find any joy in life after being completely cut off from their child? Or find any self worth when the child they love is being told that she is better off with out him in her life? How does one find the heart to carry on?

I guess thats three questions…

What would H.P. Lovecraft do? (WWHPLD?) Maybe he’s not the best of role models having been quite the racist misogynist. He’d probably say its best to just shut out the world.

How about Robert E. Howard?

Howard’s writings reveal that he planned to go out while young and in the prime of health. Friends recall him defending the act of suicide as a valid alternative as early as eighteen years old, while many of his stories and poems have a suicidal gloom and intensity that seem prescient in hindsight, describing such an end not as a tragedy but as a release from hell on earth. -Wikipedia-

hmm… maybe not. He took a .38 to his head.

Maybe Ambrose Bierce? Mr. Bierce decided that being a gringo in revolutionary Mexico was a great way to go as you can see to his last letter to his niece:

Good-bye — if you hear of my being stood up against a Mexican stone wall and shot to rags please know that I think that a pretty good way to depart this life. It beats old age, disease, or falling down the cellar stairs. To be a Gringo in Mexico — ah, that is euthanasia! -Ambrose Bierce- -Wikipedia-

Theres always Iraq. My only reason for not going is gone. I have no one here to worry over me, and no one to keep myself safe for. It sounds tempting, quite tempting actually… except for the heat… and I’d fall really far behind on my daily web comic reading over there. The bullets? meh…

So, what would Poe do? That one I’m pretty sure I can answer.

Bottoms up! Not a bad idea, but it tends to lower my scores on the Physical Fitness tests.

Arthur Machen seems to have the healthiest of answers. After the death of his wife, Machen, with the support of a friend, joined The Hermetic Order of the Golden Dawn. While this didn’t last long, a sudden change of career to that of acting, and with it much traveling, led to a second happy marriage.

Sounds good, but I like Massachusetts too much to move, and I have too many bills to give up the salary of my computer career.

So whats a Joe gonna do? I have no idea. I guess that leaves scouring the web for more Lovecraft and friends news, info, and historical tidbits to post on LostCarcosa.net!

Deadilicious has up some pictures of Necronomicon Press’ H.P. Lovecraft and gang paper cut-outs including Lovecraft, Robert E. Howard, Clark Aston Smith, Sonia Haft Green Lovecraft Davis, Robert Bloch, Frank Belknap Long, a writing desk with “The Color out of Space”, and of course, his Lovecraft’s cat.

Go check them out at Deadilicious.

Today, in my daily scouring of the web for all news Lovecraftian, I came across this humorous article titled: “Asians: A Practical Guide to Cellists”. I found it to be a rather humrous read, while at the same time pointing out the bigotry of people and the stupidity of it.

“Asians: A Practical Guide”? But how is that Lovecraft or even Mythos related???

Well… for one thing, the article mentions H.P. Lovecraft It even mentions some fictitious stories. One thing is true is that Lovecraft and some of his fellow writing compatriots were a bit racist and afraid of a “Yellow Tide”.

Noted author H. P. Lovecraft was especially afraid of the growing Asian influence, and some of his lesser-known works reflect this preoccupation. “Li Po: Reanimator,” “The Doom That Came From Peking,” and “Cthulhu and the Ching Chong Chinabots” are just a few of his more xenophobic stories. They tell of a mysterious, bucktoothed race of ancient Gods who urinate in other people’s cola.

I’m currently reading a collection of Robert E. Howard stories and while some of the stories are completely devoid of overt racism, although many argue at a covert racism ingrained in the stories, a few of them warn of an oncoming onslaught against the white people of the world when the brooding yellow, brown, and black races of the world unite, uprise, and conquer the world.

What do I think? Especially as someone who is half Japanese? Racism is bad, Mmm-kay? Bigotry is bad, Mmm-kay? Are the stories bad and evil stories? censorship is bad, and you shouldn’t re-write history. Read the stories, understanding the author’s personal biases. You can enjoy the stories for many other points and not let their bigotry be your own, nor are you supporting it. Thats my opinion. Some might disagree. They’re allowed to disagree…. even if they are wrong.

Read the Guide here.

Yig, although not as mind-numbingly horrific or as powerful as The Great Old Ones, is still a character you really don’t want to meet up with on any sort of night, or day.  Really.
While most prominently and directly known from the H.P. Lovecraft story, “The Curse of Yig“, Yig may also have some footing in Robert E. Howard’s realm as well.  As Set in Conan’s time, and the Great Serpent in Kull’s time (complete with a worshiping following of snake people), we have some crossing of characters between Lovecraft’s and Howard’s stories.  Howard is well known to have been a big fan of Lovecraft, and has been inspired many a time to borrow Mythos and characters for his own stories, as well as the same being done by Lovecraft a few times.

Check out the excellent artistic depictions of Yig over at Grim Reviews.

The picture above is of Kull versus some Snake Men, and can be found at Xoth.net