For the first time in Russian, a translation of the book by S.T. Joshi about the life of science fiction writer Howard Philips Lovecraft. This book was the fruit of many years of scrupulous study by the biographer of all stages of the writer’s life and creative path, as well as details gleaned from letters and documents of Lovecraft’s contemporaries. The biographer himself admits that the biography of Lovecraft was the most significant achievement in his literary career to date. Joshi's work received really high marks from critics and was appreciated by them, receiving also the most positive reviews from horror novelist Ramsey Campbell and literary critic Harold Bloom. The author of the books, Joyce Carol Oates, wrote an extensive and friendly review for the New York Times book review, in which she called Joshi’s book “the most reliable biography”, with which the earlier one, long considered a classic, cannot be compared , the work of Sprague de Camp Lovecraft: A Biography (the book was published in Russian by the publishing house "AMPHORA"). The equally comprehensive work of Joshi's predecessor was subjected to serious criticism for numerous inaccuracies, omissions, and also for insufficient understanding of the writer's personality.