The Author Howard Phillips Lovecraft (1890-1937) Howard Phillips Lovecraft was born on August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island. Lovecraft was over-protected by his mother and grew up an introverted child with few friends and afraid of strangers. His father showed early signs of madness and when he was admitted to a mental hospital, the only male figure in his family was his grandfather Phillips. He encouraged Lovecraft to read from the family library and helped him set up a laboratory where the boy did weekly experiments, reporting them in a journal. The boy showed an early interest in fairy tales1 and classic mythology. Later he became fond of fantasy fiction (E.A. Poe, Jules Verne and H.G.Wells2), chemistry and astronomy. Lovecraft was frequently ill, had nervous crises and suffered from night terrors or night gaunts 3 as he called them. As a result, he never attended school regularly and never got a diploma, but was educated privately. From 1906 to 1912 he contributed to various local newspapers with poems, letters and articles on astrology. It was only in 1913, that his letters in verse, published in the pulp magazine4 The Argosy , attracted the attention of Edward F. Daas, President of the United Amateur Press Association (UAPA), who invited him to contribute with poems and short stories. In 1914, Lovecraft became a member of UAPA and began a lively correspondence with other amateur5 journalists. In the meantime he 1. fairy tale: story about imaginary creatures with supernatural power. 2. E.A. Poe (1809-1849): American Romantic writer famous for his gothic stories of mystery and the macabre; Jules Verne (1828-1905): French author of science fiction, the creator of Captain Nemo and his submarine Nautilus; H.G. Wells (1866-1946): English writer known for his contribution to science fiction and his description of the invasion of the Earth by the Martians. 3. night gaunt: demon-like being. 4. pulp magazine: inexpensive periodic publication printed on poor quality paper (from wood pulp) with pictures, stories and articles of interest to the readers. 5. amateur: taking part in an activity for pleasure, not as a job. 4