The best books by Howard Lovecraft. The best works of Lovecraft Howard Lovecraft the best works

The name of Howard Lovecraft became known in Russia in the early 90s. It was then that the first translations of his stories appeared in Russia. The popularity of this author's works is growing every year. It is interesting that during his lifetime, the works of Howard Lovecraft were not appreciated, and interest in his unusual stories appeared only after the death of the author.

Most readers are accustomed to thinking of the King of Horror, but Lovecraft's stories are much scarier and sometimes evoke animal horror. Howard Lovecraft began writing his first stories at the age of 6. From the first stories of the author, you can understand that he can add a touch of real horror to even the simplest things.

Throughout his time, Lovecraft wrote 115 stories, 44 of which were co-authored. Unfortunately, most of the early works have been lost. In this collection we will talk about best books Howard Lovecraft. Thanks to the author's works, new genre – Lovecraftian horror, that is, fear is not built on physical fear, but on the psychological horror of the unknown. This is what makes his books so creepy.

The entire work of Howard Loughcraft is conventionally divided into three cycles - the Cthulhu Mythos, Deadly Stories and the Dream cycle. The stories are not connected by anything other than a common theme. And the Cthulhu Mythos series includes works by many authors, including Stephen King.

"The Crypt" (1917)

"The Crypt" is a short story written by Lovecraft at age 27. Belongs to the series of Deadly Stories.

This is the story of Jervis Dudley, who dreamed of getting into the crypt of an old family. At first he did not succeed, and he decided that he would wait for the right opportunity. Having fallen asleep at the crypt, in his sleep it seemed to him that light was emanating from the tomb. He runs into the house and finds the treasured key to the door. In the crypt he finds his coffin. And from that moment on, Jervis changed a lot. Now he spends the night in the crypt. And during the day they watch him. But what is really happening to him? What secrets does the old tomb hide? Or has the hero simply gone crazy?

"Dagon" (1917)

"Dagon" - fantastic story, in which the main leitmotif of Lovecraft’s work is manifested - the awareness of the insignificance of man in a world where there are unknown and powerful forces.

The story is told on behalf of a man who saw the ancient sea deity Dagon. But this is not just his story, but suicide note, where he will tell you what really happened. This happened during the First World War. The narrator was sailing on a packet boat when he was captured by German soldiers. He managed to escape on a boat, but this escape turned into a nightmare.

"Cats of Ulthar" (1920)

“Cats of Ulthar” is a story belonging to the Dream cycle.

The events take place in the city of Ulthar, where an old couple lived who hated cats. They killed these animals, and the local residents could not do anything. One day a caravan came to the city. In this caravan there was a boy and his only friend - a black kitten. The kitten disappeared, and when the child was told who was to blame, the boy asked the deities to take revenge on those who were guilty. Since then, it is forbidden to kill cats in the city of Ulthar.

"The Music of Erich Zann" (1921)

“The Music of Erich Zann” is a mystical story that leaves more mysteries than answers. Belongs to the series of Deadly Stories.

The narrator lives in Paris, in the same house with a mute musician. Erich Zann lives a secluded life, but cannot exist without his music. This music is mesmerizing. She is able to fight the unknown. The narrator meets the genius of music, but very quickly stops communicating, continuing to listen to the mesmerizing music.

"Herbert West - Re-Animator" (1921-1922)

“Herbert West - Re-Animator” is a horror story, consisting of six mini-stories located in chronological order. Based on this story, a film was released in 1985, and later a series of horror comics began to be published. It is in this book that zombies are first mentioned as the risen dead.

Main character- Herbert West. He is a medical student who is trying not just to understand death, but to find a way to defeat it. A creepy story Herbert’s friend, who had to assist in strange experiments, talks about the fight against death.

"Somnambulant search for the unknown Kadath" (1926-1927)

“The Somnambulistic Search for the Unknown Kadath” is considered the main work in the Dream cycle. This series is the smallest and has only 9 stories: “Memory”, “White Ship”, “Celephais”, “Cats of Ulthar”, “Punishing Doom on Sarnatom”, “Other Gods”, “Somnambulant Search for the Unknown Kadath”, “Search for Iranon” " and "Hypnos".

"The Somnambulistic Search for the Unknown Kadath" is the story of Randolph Carter, who travels through the world of dreams every night. And in one of his dreams he sees a beautiful city, which took over his thoughts. He asks his Gods to open the way for him to this city, but the Gods are not only deaf, they no longer show him this miracle. Then he decides to find it himself. And the very creatures that inspire terror during the day come to his aid.

This story has a sequel, "The Gate of the Silver Key" and "The Silver Key." These stories have a familiar hero, but the atmosphere is completely different. That is why the continuation of the novel “The Somnambulistic Search for the Unknown Kadath” is not classified as a cycle of Dreams.

"Color from Other Worlds" (1927)

"Color from Other Worlds" is a horror story with elements of science fiction. Part of the Deadly Stories series. The author himself called this work his best work.

A meteorite fell on the farm of an ordinary American family. At first nothing happened. Everything was fine, but over time, a strange light began to come from the meteorite, which people had not seen before. And then events are described that amaze with their horror and otherworldly reality.

"Call of Cthulhu" (1926)

“The Call of Cthulhu” is the first story in which Cthulhu appears, an ancient deity and the embodiment of evil.

"Call of Cthulhu" consists of three parts:

1. Horror embodied in clay. The image of Cthulhu appears on a clay bas-relief. A simple image leads to a series of events that will lead the police to the religious sect.
2. The story of police inspector Legrasse. The hero of this part talks about a sect that worshiped Cthulhu. Members of the sect believe that Cthulhu will soon come to this world.
3. Madness emerging from the sea. In this part, not only the secret of the ancient deity will be revealed, but also he himself. Ordinary sailors accidentally found the ancient sea city of R'lyeh, where pure evil lives.

After this story, in other works of H. P. Lovecraft one can find various references not only to Cthulhu, but also to other ancient deities that embody evil and horror.

In the bookstore you can find a large collection called “Cthulhu”, which includes many stories, both from the “Cthulhu Mythos” series and from other series.

"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" (1927)

"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is one of Lovecraft's most voluminous works. The story has everything that a lover of mysticism and horror can only dream of.

The action of the story is looped. The beginning and the end occur in psychiatric hospital. Charles was there because of his quest to discover his family's past. This is how he learns that he is like his ancestor, who was a sorcerer. But what will the disclosure of all the truth lead to? Charles in literally will resurrect the past in order to disappear into oblivion.

"The Whisperer in the Dark" (1930)

“The Whisperer in the Dark” is a story that has common features with “The Color of Other Worlds” and parallels with the “Cthulhu Mythos” series. At the same time, this story does not belong to cycles. But some publishers certainly include this work in collections of stories where Cthulhu appears.

After the flood, Professor Wilmarth hears rumors of strange creatures appearing around Vermont. At this time, Henry Ackley writes to him, telling him that he has evidence of the existence of an extraterrestrial race. After a heated correspondence, the professor agrees to come to Vermont to find out the truth for himself. But he will have to escape from Ackley's house to tell the world the truth.

"The Ridges of Madness" (1931)

"The Ridges of Madness" is a full-fledged horror novel with elements of science fiction. This book is one of the main books in the Cthulhu Mythos series. It is in this story that mention of the offspring of Cthulhu appears.

The plot revolves around a polar expedition that finds an ancient city. But instead of a scientific discovery, the members of the expedition face a waking nightmare. No one can fail to meet the ancient evil, which takes on different forms. The world of the gods does not like when their peace is disturbed. In addition, aliens also appear in the story, which will further aggravate the situation.

Of course, this is a small part of what Howard Lovecraft wrote, but it is these books that will most fully acquaint the reader with the author’s style and his talent.

P.S.

While preparing this top, we came across a very interesting request. Many people are looking for a book called "Necronomicon".

The Necronomicon is often mentioned in Lovecraft's works. In the story "The Witch's Lair" it is said that the Necronomicon contains everything magical rituals And full story Ancient Gods. In reality, this book does not exist. It was invented by the author to give the story more real meaning. Critics agreed that the Necronomicon has real prototypes.

At the same time, in 2011, one small publication published a collection of Lovecraft’s stories called “Necronomicon”. It's just a collection of short stories, and not the best one at that. The translation was done by a certain Nina Bavina, who brought a lot of her own, which almost completely destroyed the style of the writer himself. So you shouldn’t even take this book into account if you are going to get acquainted with the work of the great author.

H. P. Lovecraft(full name - Howard Phillips Lovecraft) was born on August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island. His parents, mother Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft and father Winfield Scott Lovecraft, then lived at 454 (then 194) Angell Street. In Providence, not counting two years spent in New York, he lived his entire short life.

When Howard was three years old, his father suffered a nervous breakdown while in a Chicago hotel (he was working as a traveling salesman), and was subsequently institutionalized for five years until his death on July 19, 1898.

After the death of his father, the boy was raised by his mother, two aunts and, especially, his grandfather, Whipple Van Buren Phillips. Grandfather had the most extensive library in the city (and maybe in the entire state), and this did not help last role in shaping Howard's reading habits. He began to read and write himself early (even earlier he began simply composing spoken poetry). And one of the first works that he noted as the most beloved and impressed him was “Tales of 1001 Nights,” which he first read at the age of five. It was from there that Abdul Alhazred was born, who later became the pseudonym of the author himself, and even later - the character of his stories, the author of the Necronomicon. And it was to this book that Lovecraft owed eastern motifs in his subsequent work. The author also loved the Greek myths, the Iliad and the Odyssey, from childhood, reflections of which we can also find later in his poetry and prose.

WITH early childhood Lovecraft was in poor health. Having practically no friends, he spent most of his time with his grandfather in the library. But his interests were not limited to literature as a profession. He was seriously interested in chemistry, astronomy, and history (especially the history of his native state and New England). Also in school age independently began publishing newspapers and magazines dedicated to his scientific interests and research (“The Scientific Gazette” (1899-1907) and “The Rhode Island Journal of Astronomy” (1903-07)). They were distributed mainly among classmates and subsequent friends and associates.

At school (Hope Street High School), his interests and research are approved by teachers, who replace Howard with friends among his peers. And in 1906, his article on astronomy was first published by The Providence Sunday Journal. He later became a regular columnist for The Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner on astronomy. And even later in such publications as The Providence Tribune (1906-08), The Providence Evening News (1914-18) and The Asheville (N.C.) Gazette-News (1915).

In 1904, Howard's grandfather dies. He and his mother, experiencing financial difficulties, are forced to leave the mansion in which they lived and move to a cramped apartment at 598 Angell Stirth. Howard was very upset about the loss of his home, where he was born and which was his family. In 1908, Howard himself suffered a nervous breakdown, which forced him to leave school without graduating. An attempt to enroll at Brown University ends in failure, which leads to Lovecraft's even more reclusive lifestyle.

From 1908 to 1913, Lovecraft practically did not leave home, continuing to study astronomy and poetry. The exit from seclusion was very original. While reading many old "cheap" magazines, among which was The Argosy, he came across love stories one Fred Jackson. This prompted him to write an angry letter to the magazine. It was published in 1913 and caused a storm of protest from Jackson admirers. This led to a whole correspondence on the pages of the magazine, in which many people and authors were involved. Among them was Edward F. Daas, president of the United Amateur Press Association (UAPA). It was an organization of young authors from all over the country who wrote and published their own magazines. He invites Lovecraft to become a member of the UAPA. And in 1914 his proposal was accepted.

Lovecraft begins to publish his own magazine, The Conservative (1915-23), in which he publishes his poetry, as well as articles and essays written both specifically for this publication and those that he sent to other magazines. There are 13 issues of The Conservative in total. Necronomicon Press would later reissue these issues among other works by Lovecraft. Lovecraft subsequently became President and Editor-in-Chief of UAPA.

Having already written fiction before (The Beast in the Cave (1905) and The Alchemist (1908)) and now plunging into the world of amateur prose, Lovecraft takes up his pen again , already as a science fiction writer, for the first time since 1908. In 1917, “Tomb” (“Tomb”) was successfully published (“ The Tomb") and "Dagon". Now the author’s main occupation and passion is prose, poetry and journalism.

In 1919, Lovecraft's mother had a nervous attack. And just like his father, she is placed in a clinic, from where she does not leave until her death. She dies on May 24, 1921. Lovecraft is very upset by the death of his mother, but a few weeks later a serious change occurs in his life - at a conference of amateur journalists in Boston on July 4, 1921, he meets the woman who would later become his wife. This was Sonia Haft Green, a Russian-Jewish woman seven years older than Howard himself. From their first meeting, they find much in common in each other, and Lovecraft often visits her in Brooklyn in 1922. Their relationship was not a secret, and therefore the announcement of the wedding on March 3, 1924 did not come as a surprise to their friends. But this was a complete surprise for his aunts, whom he notified only in writing only after the marriage had already taken place.

Lovecraft moves to his wife in Brooklyn, and things in their family are not going badly - he is already earning money as a professional writer, publishing his early works in Weird Tales, and Sonya runs a thriving hat shop on Fifth Avenue in New York .

But later the store goes bankrupt, and Lovecraft loses his job as an editor at Weird Tales. In addition, Sonino’s health is deteriorating, and she is admitted to a New Jersey hospital. On January 1, 1925, Sonya left for Cleveland to start a business there, and Lovecraft moved into a one-room apartment in a Brooklyn neighborhood called Red Hook. Having many acquaintances in the city, he does not feel completely alien and abandoned. At this time, such things as “The Shunned House” (1924), “The Horror at Red Hook” and “He” came out from his pen. ) (both also 1924).

At the beginning of 1926, Lovecraft plans to return to Providence, which he has been missing all this time. At the same moment, his marriage cracked, and later (in 1929) it completely broke up.

Returning to Providence on April 17, 1926, Lovecraft does not lead a reclusive life, as he did from 1908 to 1913. On the contrary, he travels a lot to ancient places (Quebec, New England, Philadelphia, Charleston) and works fruitfully. During this time, he wrote some of his best works, including “The Call of Cthulhu” (1926), “At the Mountains of Madness” (1931), “Shadow from Timelessness” (“The Shadow out of Time”, 1934-35). At the same time, he maintains extensive correspondence both with his old friends and with many young authors who owe their careers in this field largely to Lovecraft (August Derleth, Donald Wandrey, Robert Bloch, Fritz Leiber). At this time, he wrote many articles on politics and economics, as well as on all those subjects that continued to interest him - from philosophy and literature to history and architecture.

The last two or three years of the author’s life were especially difficult. In 1932, one of his aunts, Miss Clarke, died, and Lovecraft moved into a room at 66 College Street in 1933 with his second aunt, Miss Gunwell. After the suicide of Robert E. Howard, one of his closest pen pals, Lovecraft becomes depressed. At the same time, the disease progresses, which will later cause his death - intestinal cancer.

In the winter of 1936-1937, the disease progressed so much that Lovecraft was admitted to the Jane Brown Memorial Hospital on March 10, 1937, where he died five days later.

Lovecraft was buried on March 18, 1937 in the family plot at Swan Point Cemetery. On a simple tombstone, in addition to the name, dates of birth and death, there is only one inscription - “I am Providence”...

Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Almost unknown during his lifetime, Lovecraft subsequently became a very controversial figure - from the point of view of assessing both his life and his work. Few writers can boast of so many myths and rumors about themselves - it is interesting, however, that the biography of Lovecraft itself “ life events"Not particularly rich.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born on August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island, and lived here almost his entire life. On her mother's side - Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft (Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft)- he was a direct descendant of the ancient Phillips family, back to the pioneer settler George Phillips, who arrived in Massachusetts from England in 1630. The writer's father is Winfield Scott Lovecraft (Winfield Scott Lovecraft)– was a traveling salesman for a jewelry company. When Lovecraft was just three years old, his father suffered a nervous breakdown during a business trip to Chicago. Winfield Lovecraft was admitted to Butler Hospital (Butler Hospital), where he died five years later. Today there is little doubt that the cause of his illness and madness was progressive paralysis caused by syphilis. It remains unknown whether the cause of his father's illness was subsequently known to Lovecraft himself.

With the death of his father, Howard was raised by his mother, his two aunts and his grandfather, industrialist Whipple Van Buren Phillips. (Whipple Van Buren Phillips), who lived together in the family mansion at 454 Angel Street. Undoubtedly, the environment of the historical part of his native Providence had a huge influence on the aesthetic views of the future writer: a craving for the colonial past, ancient architecture, to the praise of which Lovecraft almost constantly refers to in his work. And although it's unlikely early years Lovecraft can be called happy, this period (and especially the subsequent longing for him) significantly shaped him as a person and as a writer.

Lovecraft showed extraordinary abilities from childhood, beginning to read, write and compose poetry very early. Due to his poor health, he often missed school (which I never finished) and spent long hours in the extensive library that belonged to his grandfather. Lovecraft became interested in science fiction from childhood, voraciously reading Grimm's fairy tales, the works of Jules Verne and, of course, Edgar Allan Poe, who influenced the writer greatest influence: Lovecraft's first attempts at writing in the field of the fantastic and the unknown were written mainly under the impression of Poe's stories.

Another passion of Lovecraft was astronomy - and this is a key point in the formation of his worldview. Thanks to his studies in astronomy, the writer discovered “worlds of boundless spaces”, the scale of the universe, which laid the foundation for his philosophy - “cosmic horror” and the simultaneous insignificance of humanity before him. And this philosophy, which should not be forgotten, is devoid of any hope. This is the main difference between Lovecraft and other horror and science fiction writers - there are not just some mysterious and powerful otherworldly forces in the world. They, in fact, dominate it, and there is no need to talk about any “victory” over these forces: a meeting with them threatens to best case scenario madness and terrible nightmares (frequent motifs in Lovecraft's works).

In 1904, his grandfather, Whipple Phillips, died, which was a terrible shock for young Lovecraft. His family's financial situation was greatly shaken, and they had to move to a smaller house at 598 on the same Angel Street. Lovecraft, by his nature very strongly attached to the “place,” was terribly worried, and throughout his subsequent life he sadly recalled his former house, in which he spent a short time, but, perhaps, the most happy years In my life. All this led to the fact that in 1908, Lovecraft himself now had a nervous breakdown, which was further aggravated by a failed attempt to enter Brown University (Brown University).

However, it was during this period that Lovecraft not only wrote his first serious stories (of which only two have survived - “The Beast in the Cave” and “The Alchemist”), but also begins to publish - in The Providence Sunday Journal, which published short letter Lovecraft, with a refutation by a local astrologer, as well as in The Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner and in The Providence Tribune, where he wrote a regular astronomy column.

Very little is known about Lovecraft's life between 1908 and 1913. After a “nervous breakdown” that happened to him, Lovecraft became a recluse and wrote practically nothing. His gradual resumption of contact with the outside world is due primarily to the movement of amateur journalists. Lovecraft becomes first a member of their association, and then its president and editor-in-chief, becoming one of the most influential figures in this movement. He began to write again, and in 1917 the stories “Dagon” and “The Crypt” were published.

At the same time, Lovecraft's mother's condition worsened, and after a nervous attack in 1919, she ended up in the same Butler Hospital where her husband once died. In 1921, she died without ever leaving there, from an unsuccessful operation on the gall bladder.

By a strange coincidence, in the same 1921, Lovecraft met his future wife– Sonja Heft (Gaft) Green (Sonia Haft Greene), who was seven years older than him. Three years later they got married and moved in with Sonya in Brooklyn. But after two years their marriage mutual consent collapsed - literature did not bring much income to Lovecraft, but to find himself permanent job in New York he never could (which is not surprising, considering almost complete absence experience and formal education). In addition, New York, with its size and rhythm of life, began to oppress the writer more and more (echoes of this can be seen, for example, in the story “A Nightmare in Red Hook”).

Lovecraft’s literary activity gradually expanded: in 1922, “Herbert West – Re-Animator” was published in the magazine “Home Brew” in the form of a small “serial”, and in 1923, Lovecraft began collaborating with the publication “Weird Tales”, founded at the same time, which he would later publish many of his works.

On April 17, 1926, Lovecraft returned to Providence and settled at 10 Barnes Street, north of Brown University. From this moment begins, perhaps, the most interesting and creatively productive period of the writer’s life. He travels around New England, visiting Quebec, Philadelphia, Charleston; he continues his incredibly active correspondence and contributes to the development of young writers (among them his friends Robert Bloch and Auguste Derleth). Lovecraft's most important works (sometimes called "elder texts"), starting with "Call of Cthulhu" (1926) , written precisely in the last decade of his life.

Lovecraft lived his last years at 66 College Street, where he moved in 1933. By 1936, intestinal cancer - the disease that caused his death - had worsened so much that soon, on March 10, 1937, the writer was admitted to Jane Brown Memorial Hospital, where he died five days later. Lovecraft is buried in the Phillips family plot at Swan Point Cemetery in Providence.

It is possible that before his death, Lovecraft, who did not publish a single book and was published almost exclusively in cheap magazines, foresaw the complete oblivion of all his works. But fortunately, thanks to his friends (especially Auguste Derleth), this turned out not to be the case. In 1939, the newly formed publishing house Arkham House published the collection "Outcast and Other Stories" (The Outsider and Others), which included thirty-six short stories and an essay, “Supernatural Horror in Literature.” Others followed, and eventually Lovecraft's works began to be published by many publishers and translated into foreign languages. And today, Howard Phillips Lovecraft has already taken his well-deserved place in world literature for quite some time.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft(English) Howard Phillips Lovecraft, August 20, Providence, Rhode Island, USA - March 15, ibid.) - American writer and poet who wrote in the genres of horror, mysticism, combining them in an original style. The founder of the Cthulhu Mythos. During Lovecraft's lifetime, his works were not very popular, but after his death they had an impact. noticeable influence on the formation of modern mass culture. His work is so unique that Lovecraft's works stand out as a separate subgenre - the so-called Lovecraftian horror.

Biography

Lovecraft at the age of 9-10 years.

Lovecraft was raised by his mother, two aunts and his grandfather (Whipple Van Buren Phillips), who sheltered the future writer's family. Howard was a child prodigy - he recited poetry by heart at the age of two, and by the age of six he was already writing his own. Thanks to his grandfather, who had the largest library in the state, he met classical literature. In addition to the classics, he became interested in Gothic prose and Arabian tales of the Thousand and One Nights.

At the age of 6-8, Lovecraft wrote several stories, most of which have not survived to this day. At the age of 14, Lovecraft wrote his first serious work, “The Beast in the Cave.”

As a child, Lovecraft was often ill, and he went to school only at the age of eight, but a year later he was taken away from there. He read a lot, studied chemistry in between, and wrote several works (copying them on a hectograph in small editions), starting in 1899 (“Scientific Newspaper”). Four years later he returned to school.

Whipple Van Buren Phillips died in 1904, after which the family became greatly impoverished and was forced to move to a smaller house on the same street. Howard was saddened by the departure and even contemplated suicide. Due to a nervous breakdown that happened to him in 1908, he never finished school, which he was very ashamed of.

Lovecraft wrote science fiction as a child (“The Beast in the Cave” (), “The Alchemist” ()), but later preferred poetry and essays to it. He returned to this “frivolous” genre only in 1917 with the stories “Dagon”, then “The Tomb”. "Dagon" became his first published creation, appearing in 1923 in the magazine "Mysterious Stories" ( Weird Tales). At the same time, Lovecraft began his correspondence, which eventually became one of the most voluminous in the 20th century. His correspondents included Forrest Ackerman, Robert Bloch and Robert Howard.

Sarah, Howard's mother, after a long period of hysteria and depression, ended up in the same hospital where her husband died, and died there on May 21, 1921. She wrote to her son until her last days.

Despite his success as a writer, Lovecraft became increasingly needy. He moved again, now to small house. Robert Howard's suicide made a strong impression on him. In 1936, the writer was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, a consequence of malnutrition. Howard Phillips Lovecraft died on March 15, 1937 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Literary creativity

Predecessors

Writers whose work influenced Lovecraft primarily include Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Dunsany, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, Ambrose Bierce, Lafcadio Hearn.

Followers

Perhaps the most important of Lovecraft's followers, both in terms of chronology and continuity, is August Derleth. Despite the fact that many authors subsequently turned to the pantheon of cosmic gods created by Lovecraft, it was Derleth who became the creator and head of the Arkham House publishing house, which published the works of Lovecraft himself, Derleth and everyone who in one way or another came into contact with the works created by Lovecraft worlds. Derleth was also quite successful as a writer, although he could not match the power of his teacher. However, he was a publishing genius - books from the Arkham House publishing house from that period are now bibliographic rarities. Moreover, this was a rare case when a publishing house was created for the work of a specific person.

Stephen King

Lovecraft's works that influenced popular culture West, left an indelible mark on the work of countless writers who worked and are working in the genre of mysticism and horror. One of Lovecraft’s creative heirs is the famous “King of Horror” Stephen King. The most striking work in which Stephen King does not imitate the storytelling style of Howard Lovecraft, but pays tribute to the latter’s talent, is the story “Crouch End”, filmed by the TNT film company in the collection of short stories “Nightmares and Fantasies of Stephen King”. King's work clearly shows traces of the influence of Lovecraft. Thus, the novel “It” directly refers the reader to cosmic horror that came from time immemorial. It should be noted, however, that King's horror can be quite clearly divided into three main parts: cosmic (Lovecraft), afterlife and scientific (Mary Shelley).

Among other things, most of Stephen King's books take place in small American towns, which is also typical of the works of Lovecraft, who believed that the most terrible things happen in quiet places.

"Necronomicon" and books in the works of Lovecraft

Lovecraft usually referred to ancient books that contained secrets that man should not know. Most of the references were fictitious, but some occult works actually existed. The combination of fictional documents with real ones in the same context allowed the former to appear real. Lovecraft gave only general references to such books (mostly to create atmosphere) and rarely provided detailed descriptions. The most famous of these fictional manuscripts is his "Necronomicon", about which the writer spoke most. His explanations of this text were so well thought out that many people to this day believe in the reality of this book, and this allows some to profit from the ignorance of others.

The Book of Eibon, Livre d'Eibon, or Liber Ivonis

Currently, Lovecraft's collections are regularly republished in Russia by at least three major publishing houses - Azbuka, AST, Eksmo.

Works of Howard Lovecraft

The most famous and significant works:

• Herbert West - Re-Animator (1922)

Screen adaptation

Several dozen films have been made based on Lovecraft's works. The most famous of them were created by directors Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna and others:

Currently in Russia, in Vladivostok, the film “The Shadow over Arkham” is being filmed (film blog - community.livejournal.com/hpl_movie_blog), also based on the works of Lovecraft.

Computer games

• Alone in the Dark (Quest, 1992)

• Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet (Quest, 1993)

• Prisoner of Ice (Quest/Survival horror, 1995)

• Legacy (RPG, 1996)

• Necronomicon: The Dawning of Darkness (Quest, 2001)

• Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (Action/Adventure, 2006)

• Sherlock Holmes 3: The Secret of Cthulhu (Quest, 2007)

• Darkness Within - In Pursuit of Loath Nolder (Quest, 2007)

• Penumbra: Black Plague (Adventure/Survival horror/Action, 2008)

Notes

Literature

• L. Sprague De Camp. Lovecraft: A Biography. - St. Petersburg: Amphora, 2008. - P. 656. - ISBN 978-5-367-00815-9

Links

see also

Rating of works by American horror writer Howard Phillips Lovecraft. It so happened that the top 10 included major works. Basically, these are large novellas and stories by H. Lovecraft. However, it is not entirely correct to compare the author’s short and long prose. Lovecraft's short stories, of which he wrote many, have been unfairly neglected. And then it dawned on me that for small works it is necessary to create their own separate rating. So, the top ten short stories Howard Phillips Lovecraft.

If you decide to get closely acquainted with creativity American writer horror stories and don't have enough time, then this top 10 short stories is perfect for you. Choose any title you like, evaluate it based on a short summary, then find the text and read it in a short period of time.

If you prefer large prose, and at the same time have a free hour or two for long reading, then I refer you to the rating of long texts:.

Before I describe H. P. Lovecraft's favorite ten short stories, I would like to reiterate that It was difficult to rank Lovecraft's works. I perceive his work as a single body, and re-read many of the texts with pleasure. Take this list not as the ultimate truth, but as one reader’s opinion among thousands of possible ones.

10. Dagon

H. P. Lovecraft wrote Dagon in the summer of 1917. This is a very short story from early creativity American writer. The first publication took place in The Vagrant magazine at the end of 1919. “Dagon” does not lose popularity today. Perhaps this is due to the fact that the work is iconic - it is the first story written by Lovecraft in the Cthulhu Mythos genre. With him began the history and development of a dark concept that became the basis for everything further creativity hermit from Providence.

Cover of the November 1919 issue of The Vagrant. First publication of Dagon

Later the story was published three times(!) in Weird Tales magazine. Twice during the author's lifetime, in 1923 and 1936, and once much later - in 1951. The covers of these publications are below:

However, in the future, “Dagon” fades into the background, because Lovecraft reworked and significantly expanded the main idea of ​​the story in the short story “The Call of Cthulhu.” Therefore, the noticeable similarity of both works should not confuse you. It happens and that's normal.

A few words about the plot. First World War. The main character, being the second mate, sailed on a mail ship through little-explored places in the Pacific Ocean until he was captured by the Germans. He manages to escape on a small boat, having a supply of food and water. The former supercargo of a mail ship sails for several days in an unknown direction until he encounters a strange and smelly island. He attempts to travel on foot and encounters an unusual pillar, covered with drawings and hieroglyphs. However, this is not the worst thing that the hero will see on an unknown island that has risen from the abyss.

An interesting and exciting story, with an original and solid plot. One can note the stunning gloomy atmosphere that Lovecraft masterfully and with constant success conveyed. Therefore, Dagon, a pioneer and trailblazer of the Cthulhu Mythos genre, is absolutely deservedly included in our top 10 short stories by H. P. Lovecraft.

9. Painting in the house

And this short story, also known in other translations as “The Picture in the Old Book” or “The Picture in the House,” was written at the end of 1920. The first publication took place in the summer of 1921 in The National Amateur magazine. A few years later the story was reprinted in Weird Tales.

I still remember what a terrible impression the story made on me when I first read it in silence and complete solitude. In the story, a young man travels through the remote corners of New England. While on his bike, he gets caught in the rain and decides to stop at a rundown and abandoned house.

The young man finds in the house the book Regnum Congo, written by a traveler. What catches his eye is the detailed description of a cannibal butcher shop from the Congo. However, despite the dilapidation and abandonment appearance, the house has an owner.
A little later, an old man comes down to the main character from the second floor, who with all passion and admiration shares his impressions of the butcher shop.

Sometimes the work of H. P. Lovecraft is divided into three large groups - “Cthulhu Mythos”, “Dream Cycle” and “Deadly Tales”. “Picture in the House” belongs to the third category.

8. Music by Erich Zann

I have often heard the opinion that the story “The Music of Erich Zann” (or Zanna) is a favorite among many fans of the work of Howard Phillips Lovecraft. However, this also applies to “Dagon” and “Color from Other Worlds,” which will be discussed below. “The Music of Erich Zann” was written exactly a year after “Pictures in the House” - in December 1921. And first published in March 1922 in The National Amateur magazine. In May 1925, the story was published in Weird Tales.

In the story, a student from Paris meets a deaf neighbor named Erich Zann. At night, the young man listens to him create strange and mysterious music. Despite his deafness, Erich Zann turned out to be a brilliant musician playing the viol. Having visited the old musician in the darkness one night, the student had to attend the most unusual concert of his life.

The short story keeps you in the grip of the narrative throughout the text, plunging you into the viscous atmosphere of the Parisian slums, where supernatural music, as if by an invisible thread, connects the heroes to the abyss of the Abyss.

7. Hypnos

Lovecraft wrote Hypnos in March 1922. In May 1923, the story was published in the National Amateur magazine, which seems to have served as the main springboard for the publication of the horror master's early works.

But only until the magazine “Weird Tales” or Weird Tales appeared in his life. The magazine, which revealed the works of many science fiction authors to the world, was founded in 1923. “Hypnos” was reprinted in it already in 1924. It seems that the story was not included in the traditional monthly publication format, but in some special issue for three months. The price tag, by the way, is twice as expensive as the standard 25 cents of the time." Strange stories" But there were much more stories under the cover.

The plot of the story takes place in England. It all started with the acquaintance and friendship of the sculptor with a certain person. The two heroes work together on nocturnal and unusual occult research. However, the price for forbidden knowledge may be too high. And now the sculptor, having penetrated the fiefdom greek god Hypnos, avoids sleep with all his might...And what happened to his comrade? Read the story "Hypnos". One of the stories from the “Cycle of Dreams” is in seventh place in my personal rating.

6. Model for Pickman

The story is known under numerous titles - "Pickman's Nature", "Pickman's Model", "Pickman's Model", "Photography from Life". It was written in September 1926 and published in October 1927 in Weird Tales magazine.

"A Model for Pickman" begins with the disappearance of a man in Boston. talented artist Richard Upton Pickman, after communicating with whom the narrator for some reason disliked the subway. Pickman's work is unique, and despite its genius, it looks like a disgusting fruit of a sick imagination.

The artist invites his storyteller friend to an old house, where he paints frightening canvases. After touring the house and the paintings, they go down to the basement and Pickman shows them unfinished paintings that are in progress. The hero sees a drawing depicting a huge monster with red eyes. As he notes, there is a small piece of paper attached to the easel.

Then they hear a terrible roar. The artist, taking the revolver and leaving the guest in the basement studio, goes out into the darkness. Shots are fired and the loud noises stop. The next morning, the narrator discovers that he accidentally put the piece of paper in his pocket, which he saw rolled up on the easel.

Having examined the photograph, he understands the terrible truth. A terrible secret forces him to never communicate with Pickman again, and later the artist disappears completely.

5. Celephais

This little-known story is one of the few in our rating that belongs to the “Cycle of Dreams.” H. P. Lovecraft wrote it in November 1920 and published it in May 1922 in Rainbow magazine. After the author's death, in 1939, "Celephais" was published in Weird Tales.

The main character of the story, Kuranes, is a descendant of a noble and impoverished family. He sees in his dreams the city of his dreams, the legendary Celephais. To prolong his dreams, Kuranes begins to abuse drugs. And the brighter the dreams, the paler the reality. For him, the dream world gradually becomes a real home. After all, in the land of dreams, Kuranes is not just a British poor man, but the ruler of a legendary city. By the way, we meet the sad King Kuranes in the story “The Somnambulistic Search for the Unknown Kadath.”

The sad story about the fabulous Celephais somehow touches the deepest strings of the soul. This small work raises big questions: social inequality, love for the motherland, craving for fairy-tale countries, the dangers of dreams.

4. Witch's Log

"The Witch's Den" can be called a little-known work. It was co-written by a student and passionate Lovecraft fan, August Derleth. Unfortunately, I don’t know whose contribution weighed more heavily in the writing of the story, but I would like to believe that “The Witch’s Lair” more creation Lovecraft than Derleth. At least from my personal experience, I never doubted it. And definitely “The Witch’s Den” is better than many of the stories that August Derleth wrote.

However, the story was published many years after the death of G. F. L - in 1962 in one of the anthologies of scary stories that Derleth regularly published.

3. Color from other worlds

The work “Color from Other Worlds” is also widely known as “The Shining from Beyond”, and a little less under several other names. The story, written in the first half of 1927, was first published in Amazing Stories magazine in September of that year.

This issue is also notable for the fact that it published a continuation of the famous novel by H.G. Wells, “The War of the Worlds.”

A meteorite with strange properties falls on a farmer's land - it glows unusually and does not cool down. Later, the cosmic piece miraculously decreases in size and then disappears altogether. After his fall, terrible events begin to happen on the farm. Crops and livestock mutate and die. The farmer's family also begins to suffer morally and physically, but stubbornly does not leave their home. The ominous situation is inexorably moving towards a tragic outcome.

“The Shining from Beyond” is a special story worthy of taking first place in this rating. If it weren't for my special love for Randolph Carter and his adventures, then it would be so.

What makes it unique? Firstly, Howard Phillips Lovecraft himself, as researcher S. T. Joshi writes, considered The Shining from Beyond to be his best work. Secondly, the story so harmoniously combines elements of science fiction and horror literature, and this fusion of genres is so skillfully realized by Lovecraft in his unsurpassed manner that it is impossible not to be delighted with The Shining From Beyond. Thirdly, an excellent plot accompanied by the darkest atmosphere of hopelessness and powerlessness in the face of cosmic horror, for which we so appreciate the work of the horror master from Providence.

Silver key andGate of the Silver Key

So, the leaders of my top 10 short stories H. P. Lovecraft. Two stories that I do not separate from each other - because. “Gate of the Silver Key” is an organic continuation of “Silver Key”, and is in no way worse plot-wise and stylistically.

The fact is that I appreciate all works where the main character is Randolph Carter. He is the only hero who appears in so many of the author’s works - five, and is mentioned in passing in one more.
You can read more about this in the article “Randolph Carter - an occultist on the way to the Great Work,” which I published back in early 2016.
Why did Lovecraft value Carter so much and transfer him from one work to another? There is a simple explanation for this, which is given in the above-mentioned article, I quote:

D The point is that this character and his friends have real prototypes. Carter himself is Lovecraft's alter ego

But besides the fact that I like stories about rich life path occultist and dreamer Randolph Carter, there are other reasons to love The Silver Key and The Gate of the Silver Key. This a large number of philosophical thoughts, which were a complete discovery for me at the moment when I read these stories.

This was back in 2006. I was 20 years old at the time and had just discovered Lovecraft’s work. The theory of multiple personalities in the universe, transcendental cosmic conversations about time and others, the rotation of the universal wheel, and Carter’s amazing experience, where he overcame himself, his fear, and stepped into the Abyss to the Ancients. It was all very overwhelming to my mind. And damn interesting.

But enough descriptions. Just read carefully, and be open to new experiences, rejecting skepticism. And perhaps you will understand what emotions I received and experience similar unforgettable feelings.

Well, a few words about publications. "The Silver Key" was written in 1926 and published in the January 1929 issue of Weird Tales magazine. The story “The Gate of the Silver Key” was written in 1932-1933 in collaboration. It was first published in the July 1934 issue of Weird Tales.

In conclusion, I will say that most of all I remember precisely those stories with which I began my acquaintance with the work of G. F. L. They made an indelible impression. Perhaps this was about the first 15-20 works read, and then the effect was no longer so strong. You lost some of the charm of meeting a new literary hero.