Eldritch horror, monsters, Cthulhu…These are the associations that spring to mind in discussions about Howard Phillips Lovecraft. The author is predominantly known for his distinctive and atmospheric horror stories – often referred to as Lovecraftian horror – which centre on the existential dread provoked by the vastness of the universe and cosmic insignificance.

(…) Lovecraft’s literary philosophy, cosmicism, emerges from his deep exploration of astronomy. Cosmicism fundamentally embraces posthumanist ideals in emphasising humanity’s insignificance in a vast cosmos, a theme vividly embodied in Lovecraft’s weird fiction. As he states: “It is man’s relation to the cosmos–to the unknown–which alone arouses in me the spark of creative imagination. The humanocentric pose is impossible to me, for I cannot acquire the primitive myopia which magnifies the earth and ignores the background.” (Lovecraft in Joshi 2013, 686) (…)