H.P. Lovecraft died nearly 80 years ago, but his work is as important and controversial as ever, reaching beyond the realms of horror and science fiction and into the pop consciousness, while scholars and readers continue to grapple with the author's racism and how it informed his fiction.

It's a complicated but vital legacy for a writer who is experiencing more commercial success now than he ever sought while he was alive. For every complaint about Lovecraft's writing style being convoluted or too florid, there is praise...