About
Howard Phillips Lovecraft, born in Providence, Rhode Island, in 1890, is a major American writer of the 20th century. A pioneer of cosmic horror, he developed the idea of an indifferent universe populated by incomprehensible entities. He created the Cthulhu Mythos, a shared mythology later expanded by other writers. His works, published in pulp magazines like Weird Tales, include 'The Call of Cthulhu' and 'At the Mountains of Madness'. After his death in 1937, Arkham House helped preserve his legacy. He also wrote essays, poetry, and thousands of letters.
* 1890-08-20 — † 1937-03-15
Major works
- The Call of Cthulhu (1928)short story
- The Colour Out of Space (1927)short story
- The Dunwich Horror (1929)short story
- At the Mountains of Madness (1936)novella
- The Shadow Over Innsmouth (1936)novella
Key milestones
- 1939Arkham House founded by August Derleth and Donald Wandrei to preserve his work.
- 1952Publication of the first dedicated bibliography, H.P. Lovecraft: A Bibliography, by Joseph Payne Brennan.
- 2010Publication of the definitive biography I Am Providence by S. T. Joshi.
Themes
Cosmic horrorHuman insignificanceIncomprehensible entitiesShared mythologyDecay and degeneration
Sources: britannica.com · oxfordreference.com · catdir.loc.gov
