The Collected Works (eBook)

Howard Phillips Lovecraft, known as H. P. Lovecraft (1890–1937), was an American writer of weird fiction and horror literature, who posthumously became one of the most significant figures in the genre's history. Born and raised in Providence, Rhode Island, Lovecraft's writing is distinguished by its atmospheric detail and a cosmology populated by ancient, otherworldly horrors, such as Cthulhu and other entities from his famous Cthulhu Mythos. Lovecraft's influence is so profound that it extends beyond literature, shaping modern horror in various media. With a style marked by antiquarian verbosity and an embrace of the macabre, Lovecraft introduced readers to a universe of cosmic dread and existential fear, believing humanity's place in the cosmos was insignificant. His collected works, which include such seminal tales as 'The Call of Cthulhu', 'At the Mountains of Madness', and 'The Shadow over Innsmouth', were not initially commercially successful. Only after his untimely death from intestinal cancer did his reputation grow, resulting in a legacy that would position him alongside Edgar Allan Poe in terms of impact on the horror genre. Despite this belated recognition, the racism and xenophobia found in his personal correspondence and some of his fiction have cast a shadow over his legacy, prompting ongoing debates in literary circles.