Howard Phillips Lovecraft, of Providence, Rhode Island, was an American author of horror, fantasy and science fiction.
Lovecraft's major inspiration and invention was cosmic horror: life is incomprehensible to human minds and the universe is fundamentally alien. Those who genuinely reason, like his protagonists, gamble with sanity. Lovecraft has developed a cult following for his Cthulhu Mythos, a series of loosely interconnected fictions featuring a pantheon of human-nullifying entities, as well as the Necronomicon, a fictional grimoire of magical rites and forbidden lore. His works were deeply pessimistic and cynical, challenging the values of the Enlightenment, Romanticism and Christianity. Lovecraft's protagonists usually achieve the mirror-opposite of traditional gnosis and mysticism by momentarily glimpsing the horror of ultimate reality.
Although Lovecraft's readership was limited during his life, his reputation has grown over the decades. He is now commonly regarded as one of the most influential horror writers of the 20th Century, exerting widespread and indirect influence, and frequently compared to Edgar Allan Poe. See also Howard Phillips Lovecraft.
Yet another Chinese translation from Taiwan, are the stars finally right for H.P.Lovecraft's tales and the Old Gods to rise!?
Since I'd already read all of the story in English before so I'll pick a few stories out of the eight stories in the book that I've something new to say:
I don't understand The Temple when I read the story in English (thanks to Lovecraft's dry writing), but this time things are much easier to understand when I read the Chinese translation. Good!
Netflix's black and white movie The Lighthouse totally reminds me of this short story! Everyone just watch out for The Lighthouse!
Dagon: I am so curious about this story because of the movie adaptation wit the same name! Though the movie has nothing to do with the story itself. XD
I like this little tale of mysterious island and madness! Though at the end of the day it's just another Lovecraft's typical trip. XD
From Beyond: I know there is a big fat movie adaptation for this short story in the 1990s but I still have yet to watch it!
Anyway, I first read this short story and English and it's a clever little piece of horror short story which I enjoy! Reading it in Chinese is fine as well!
The Hound: I supposed it's one of Lovecraft's beloved short stories, and I first read this story in the form of Poppy Z. Brite's rewriting/remaining version His Mouth Will Taste of Wormwood and it's fine! Lovecraft really had a lovely way to write horror!!!