August Derleth
August Derleth was a key figure in the compilation and publication of the stories of H.P. Lovecraft. Due to the early death of Howard Phillips Lovecraft at the age of 47, the creator of the Cthulhu Mythos was not as appreciated as he would have been had he lived for another 20 to 30 years. Beyond that, many of HP Lovecraft's short story ideas were left as nothing more than notes on paper. Also, because Lovecraft often got ideas for stories from his vivid dreams, he had a lot of story seeds in his notes.
August Derleth was one of several friends of the author who helped to collect these notes and see the ideas published for the public to read. Of all these authors and editors, August Derleth had more to do with sustaining the legacy of HP Lovecraft than any of the others. That isn't to say August Derleth isn't without his critics among fans of Yog-Sothery, as Lovecraft himself called the Cthulhu Mythos. In fact, many (if not most) zealous Lovecraft fans are quite critical of August Derleth, especially among Lovecraftian purists. I want to discuss the reasons why this is, while familiarizing those new to the Cthulhu tales with August Derleth's other contributions to literature. Let's start with August Derleth's connection to H.P. Lovecraft and his contribution to the mythos.
August Derleth and H.P. Lovecraft
August Derleth was one of many friends of H.P. Lovecraft who maintained the friendship through letters. Derleth and Lovecraft corresponded for years before the death of H.P. Lovecraft of cancer and its complications in 1937. Lovecraft referred to August Derleth by the title "le Comte d'Erlette" in his own fiction.
August Derleth and Arkham Press
When H.P. Lovecraft died, August Derleth and Donald Wandrei led the group of writers who decided to combine the surviving stories of Lovecraft and publish them. The two couldn't find a publisher who would publish the collection, so the two created Arkham House to self-publish the stories. Arkham House remains a publishing firm to this day, still controlled by the Derleth family. This print has published many horror authors in the intervening years.
One habit of Derleth's that has drawn a lot of criticism from Cthulhu fans is the fact he would take ideas from H.P. Lovecraft, write (or finish) the short story, then publish the story with his name beside that of H.P. Lovecraft's. Many feel that Derleth chose to use Lovecraft's name to sell stories. While that might have been the case, that confers on the name "H.P. Lovecraft" the popularity it's afforded in horror fiction these days and somewhat overlooks the fact his friends had trouble finding publishers for stories by Lovecraft. Still, August Derleth was only 28 years old at Lovecraft's death, so he was by no means an established literary name, either.
August Derleth and the Cthulhu Mythos
It was August Derleth who coined the term "Cthulhu Mythos", a term so widespread that it's used as a track of how much one knows about the strange aeon in the Call of Cthulhu role-playing game. August Derleth's other contributions to Lovecraftian horror are less lauded by modern horror fans. For one, August Derleth tried to codify many of the Ancient Ones according to traditional elemental signs, somewhat diminishing the sense of mystery and paradox Cthulhu, Yog-Sothoth, Azathoth, and their ilk conveyed in Lovecraft's early stories.
August Derleth also introduced the idea of a battle between good and evil forces in the interplay of the various factions of the Elder Gods, too. Lovecraftian horror is known for its surreal beings of cosmic power, so strange and alien that they have no discernible human emotions or motivations. Lovecraftian monsters are amoral beings existing in an amoral universe, so grafting a Judeo-Christian concept of good versus evil makes something chimerical out of the Cthulhu Mythos, if not entirely diminishing the tales. August Derleth thus has a mixed legacy when it comes to his contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos. Lucky for his legacy, there's a lot more to August Derleth's career than just his Cthulhu contributions.
August Derleth's Sac Prairie Saga
August Derleth considered his horror stories to be a minor part of his legacy. What he considered his essential works were the Sac Prairie Saga, which included 9 novels, 8 short story collections, and 7 journals. The Sac Prairie writing is set in the Wisconsin August Derleth was raised and lived in. August Derleth's life ambition was to create a "Wisconsin mythos", as one critic put it--not a Cthulhu Mythos. He hoped to eventually complete 50 novels on the project. Sinclair Lewis, Zona Gale, and Hamlin Garland considered August Derleth a considerable figure in literature due to these works.
Evening in Spring is the novel August Derleth considered his finest work, while many people consider "Walden West" to be his best writing. The "Gus Elker Stories" show the lighter side of Sac Prairie. The novels were published between 1937 and 1953, while the short story collections overlapped the period by a few years in either direction.
August Derleth's Detective Fiction - Solar Pons
August Derleth also wrote over 70 detective stories in his career, including the well-received Solar Pons fiction. Solar Pons was a British detective obviously inspired by Sherlock Holmes. August Derleth had an admiration for Sir Arthur Conan-Doyle and his stories were a loving tribute to his predecessor. Though the Solar Pons detective tales were derivative, they received praise from detective writers and critics such as Vincent Starrett, Anthony Boucher, and Ellery Queen.
August Derleth's Childrens Stories
The author even wrote a large number of children's stories, including the notable Steve and Sim Mystery Series. Since the 10-volume Steve and Sim stories are set in Sac Prairie and involve two boys solving mysteries, these stories can be seen as an extension of two major facets of August Derleth's career.
In Praise of August Derleth
August Derleth also wrote poems, histories, and biographies, but his skills as an editor should not go overlooked. Brian Lumley wrote in a forward that August Derleth was one of the "finest and most discerning editors" of macabre fiction, while Ramsey Campbell also has lauded Derleth for his assistance early in Campbell's career. It also should be noted that Ray Bradbury's first book (Dark Carnival) was published under the Arkham House print. Whatever one thinks about August Derleth's contributions to the Cthulhu Mythos and the legacy of H.P. Lovecraft, he stands as a considerable figure in American fiction of the mid-20th century.