[idoneus1957]

Since his death, over the course of the 20th century H.P. Lovecraft has gone from being unknown to the general public to being considered by many to be the equal of Poe.

As to poetry, of course, Lovecraft wrote some verse once in a while, a few sonnets, but he didn't claim to be a poet.

There are two biographies of Lovecraft I have read, the one by Joshi, and the book Lovecraft: a biography, by L. Sprague de Camp, which I like better.

I guess the most controversial thing about Lovecraft is his racism. About that I have only the following to say in his defense:
1. He was raised that way. In the place he grew up (Providence, upper crust), racism was normal.
2. In the last years of his life, he was getting better in the racism department, and if he had lived ten years longer we might have seen a very different Lovecraft.
3. Read de Camp's book. There were things in Lovecraft's life that screwed with his head.

I don't think I have a favorite Lovecraft story. The first ones I ever read were in a big anthology of horror stories. They were The Dunwich Horror and The Rats in the Walls.

There have been some Lovecraft movies, but it's really different to capture the Lovecraft atmosphere on the big screen.