Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an American writer of weird, science, fantasy and horror fiction. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island and is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos.

After his father’s institutionalization in 1893, he lived affluently until his family’s wealth dissipated after the death of his grandfather. Lovecraft then lived with his mother, in reduced financial security, until her institutionalization in 1919. He began to write essays for the United Amateur Press Association, and in 1913 wrote a critical letter to a pulp magazine that ultimately led to his involvement in pulp fiction.