Profile of the Day: H.P. Lovecraft

H.P. Lovecraft

Are you a horror fan? On this day in 1890, author H.P. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island.

Howard Philips Lovecraft was born on August 20, 1890 in his family home. He was the only child of Winfield Scott Lovecraft, a traveling salesman, and Sarah Susan Phillips. When he was three, his father was placed in the Providence psychiatric institution, Butler Hospital, where he remained until his death. Lovecraft was raised by his mother, his two aunts and his maternal grandfather, Whipple Van Buren Phillips. His grandfather’s own stories of Gothic horror had a great influence on Lovecraft’s interest in the weird.

Although Lovecraft began writing stories and poetry at a young age, it wasn’t until he was 31 that he was first published in a professional magazine. Unfortunately, Lovecraft would not find any commercial success during his lifetime.

Today, Lovecraft’s work has gained much public recognition and acclaim. Some of his most celebrated tales include “The Call of Cthulhu” and The Case of Charles Dexter Ward. His work would also inspire future best-selling writers, including Stephen King and Neil Gaiman.

H.P. Lovecraft is connected to over 90 million people in Geni’s World Family Tree. How are you related?
 

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Image: Wikimedia Commons