Howard Phillips Lovecraft was an influential American writer born on August 20, 1890, in Providence, Rhode Island. He is best known for his creation of the Cthulhu Mythos, a series of interconnected works featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities.

After an affluent beginning, Lovecraft's family wealth dissipated, leading to a life of reduced financial security. He began writing for the United Amateur Press Association and became involved in pulp fiction, eventually becoming a central figure in the speculative fiction community. His prominent publisher was Weird Tales.

Moving to New York in 1924, Lovecraft married Sonia Greene but returned to Providence in 1926. He produced some of his most popular works there, including The Call of Cthulhu, At the Mountains of Madness, and The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

Lovecraft's literary corpus is rooted in cosmicism, which posits humanity's insignificance in the cosmos. His stories often incorporate fantasy and science fiction, exploring themes of civilizational decline and the fragility of anthropocentrism. Although virtually unknown during his lifetime, Lovecraft is now regarded as a significant 20th-century author of supernatural horror fiction, with a cult following for his innovative and challenging works.

Lovecraft's political views were conservative and traditionalist, holding racist views for much of his life. However, they shifted towards a more socialist perspective during the Great Depression while maintaining an elitist and aristocratic stance.

He died from intestinal cancer on March 15, 1937, at the age of 46.