Fritz Leiber Studies: Writers of the Dark

The full and proper title of this book is Fritz Leiber and H.P. Lovecraft: Writers of the Dark. There is an introduction by Ben S. Szumskyj and an afterward by S.T. Joshi, the two of them together serving as editors for this volume, which talk about the relationship between the two authors and the latter’s influence on the former. Does my commentary so far sound dry and a little un-enthused?  There’s a reason for that. the book itself is essentially that way as well.

The books is divided into three sections. The first contains Lovecraft’s letters to Leiber and his first wife. Jonquil. Sadly, none of the Leibers’ letters to Lovecraft are included, so we only get one side of the conversation. When you consider that the Leibers only began their correspondence with Lovecraft about six months before his death, it’s a considerable number of letters. There is some discussion of Leiber’s writing, a bit more about Lovecraft’s, but mainly there is discussion of history and Lovecraft’s favorite books on the subject, how impressed Lovecraft was with Fritz Leiber Sr., who was a Shakespearean actor, and how Lovecraft survived on a mere $3 per week. Yes, this contains the letter where it is revealed that Lovecraft survived on baked beans and canned goods.

The second section is filled with Leiber’s stories that are arguably influenced by Lovecraft. This is the bulk of the book. There are no introductions or annotations to the stories explaining why they’ve been included in the book. Some are obvious, as they’re mentioned in Lovecraft’s letters or contain blatant Lovecraftian pastiche. Some truly stretch the definition. All are good stories, mind you, but the Lovecraftian connection are often incredibly thin.

The final section contains all of Leiber’s writing about Lovecraft, various essays and critiques. Leiber was arguably the first person to write serious literary criticism of Lovecraft’s work, and although he never explicitly states how his own work was influenced by Lovecraft, it becomes very clear as you read about what stylistic elements and particular stories Leiber admired. If this is what you’re interested in, read this section before reading the stories in the previous section.

If you’re not a Leiber or Lovecraft scholar, you’ll probably be interested in the Leiber stories that occupies most of the page count. They make for a good sampler. If you’re a Lovecraft fan looking to investigate some of Leiber’s stories, this is a nice place to start. If you’re a Lovecraft scholar, this book is probably essential. If you’re a Leiber scholar… well, there sadly aren’t many Leiber scholars, are there? Sigh. If you’re like me and wish for more Leiber scholarship, this book is a bit disappointing. It has a lot of source material, but no analysis or commentary other than the brief bits in the introduction and afterward. Even that sort of boils down to “Lovecraft and Leiber knew each other, kind of, and Lovecraft influenced Leiber, kind of, and Leiber is a pretty cool writer”. Worth having for the reference material and the stories, but it feels as if there’s a vital piece missing.

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