The Evil Clergyman

by H.P. Lovecraft

H. P. Lovecraft was one of the greatest horror writers of all time. His seminal work appeared in the pages of legendary Weird Tales and has influenced countless writer of the macabre. This is one of those stories.

Genres: Horror, Lovecraftian, Short Stories, Fiction, Classics, Fantasy, Gothic

88 pages, Kindle Edition

First published April 1, 1939

About the author

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.

— Wikipedia

Reviews

[Peter · Rating 4 out of 5]

A first person narrator enters a chamber in the attic and sees what has happened there to a clergyman. Why did that character burn his books and what did he do with the noose in his hand? Well, you shouldn't miss to read this short but very uncanny story of Lovecraft. The twist at the end (it's about the outward appearance of the narrator) is very sinister and the whole story is very atmospheric. Really recommended!

[ᴥ Irena ᴥ · Rating 3 out of 5]

A narrator enters the attic of an old house where an evil priest used to live. The man who brought him there warns him not to stay after dark or touch anything, especially a strange object on the table.
It's a recipe for disaster. When have you ever read of a character who doesn't go and touch the thing they are told not to touch as soon as they get an opportunity? This time, though, that may prove too much.
The narrator isn't really sure what he is doing. There are hints that he should know more about that room and the things in it.

[Mika · Rating 2 out of 5]

People always make the same mistake. Get told to not do something, the protagonist does anyway and, oh no, there is actually a good reason to not do something. It felt so stereotypical horror that it was no fun reading this. How lucky I am that this was a shorter one.

The only funny part was what the clergyman tried to do and how the protagonist stopped him. While it wasn't a scary story (though the ending could be interpreted as one) it was a bit funny.

[Tom · Rating 4 out of 5]

3.5 Stars rounded up to 4 Stars.

[Zai · Rating 3 out of 5]

He leido este relato de Lovecraft, aunque este autor escribía magníficamente, en este relato creo que me ha faltado algo, no se si será porque es muy corto y no da para mucho más.

[Manuel Alfredo Collado · Rating 3 out of 5]

Se trata de un relato muy corto, por lo que no haré una sinopsis.

Hay ideas interesantes que se dejan en el aire, y cumple con las exigencias de un relato breve: inicio sugerente y final impactante. No parece tener una relación clara con el resto de relatos del autor, pero tampoco desentona en ese universo.

Hace referencia a un terrible sueño que Lovecraft expuso a uno de sus amigos en una carta. Fue publicado póstumamente.

[Katy · Rating 5 out of 5]

Part of the Complete Works of H.P. Lovecraft , which can be found formatted for Nook and Kindle on CthulhuChick.com.

My Synopsis: A very short story about what happens when someone exploring the room of a very evil man messes with something he's been told not to touch.

My Thoughts: This is the first time I read this, and I had to go back and re-read a couple sections to really let it sink it. Phenomenally fantastic, full of brilliant imagery, and creepy as all hell.

[JL Shioshita · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is really just a story fragment, but I felt there was so much potential in it. It's a shame Lovecraft never expanded upon the interesting core concept.

[Marc D. ✨ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3/5 estrellas.

Me faltó algo, no sé, no sentí esa emoción que siempre me pasa con Lovecraft, quizá porque fue un relato muy corto.

[Calalo · Rating 2 out of 5]

Un hombre entra a una habitación vetusta, con un aire corrupto. En ella encuentra un objeto singular y cruza palabras con un monje más extraño aun.
El clérigo malvado fue publicado como un cuento póstumo... pero en realidad es un fragmento de una carta de HPL dirigida a su amigo Bernard Austin Dwyer. Esta narra un sueño del autor, con tantos detalles que inquieta su exactitud para recordar. Tenemos una potencial prueba de que Lovecraft
viajaba oniricamente a lugares y tiempos ajenos al presente, tal vez su mente escondía los secretos para saltar entre planos. Sin embargo hay que ver el sueño como lo que es antes que un relato, que a pesar de todo puede dar una inusitada experiencia en especial en el formato de audiorelato.

[Nicolás Ortenzi · Rating 4 out of 5]

La historia ocurre en el ático de una casa, por extrañas razones que no diré para no arruinarles la trama, el hombre que vivía antes se suicido. Al protagonista le advierten que no toque nada en especial una pequeña y ordinaria caja. Después de hacer oídos sordos a los consejos del viejo que lo llevo a ese ático, empieza la historia.

Yo creí que tendría un final más violento; pero igual fue aterrador.

[Hale · Rating 4 out of 5]

I really liked this one. The writing was enjoyable and the premise was intriguing

[Tea & Gemimah Read Books · Rating 3 out of 5]

The Evil Clergyman feels like one of those dreams that’s unsettling, vivid, and evaporates the second you try to explain it. It’s moody, atmospheric, and vaguely coherent. To be fair, this is how most of Lovecraft’s “found fragments of madness” stories read.

There’s an old room, a strange light, some ancient books, and a clergyman who’s about as holy as a tax audit. It’s got that familiar haunted-object unease, but it never quite settles on what’s happening... which is both its charm and its frustration. You can almost feel Lovecraft writing it mid-nightmare, then shrugging and saying, “Eh, close enough.”

Not bad, not great. This is more of a curious little ghost of a story. Worth reading, but won’t keep you up at night unless you’re really scared of clergy with bad vibes. No, not THAT kind of bad priest.

Listen to the audio reading for free at: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jGwT9...

[Ivanko · Rating 2 out of 5]

Bez puno objašnjenja, Lovecraft nas uvaljuje u podrum nekog "zlog redovnika". Kao sredstvo ekspozicije neki bradati čovjek kaže glavnom liku da se ne zadržava dugo jer, jeli, podrum ukletog redovnika... Također savjetuje mu da ne dira stvarčicu na stolu. Ostalo nije teško za pogoditi.

[Amy (Other Amy) · Rating 4 out of 5]

Your curiosity makes you irresponsible.

Very brief, but very delightful. The shadowy occult society and weird science are wonderful touches.

[Marcos Ibáñez Gordillo · Rating 1 out of 5]

Wei, no sé qué pasó aquí

[SURA · Rating 1 out of 5]

I think he ran out of ideas

[Thor The Redbeard · Rating 2 out of 5]

1,5*

[Chiara ♡‧₊]

oh alr

[Tony Ciak · Rating 5 out of 5]

Horror, short story by a master, Great Narration!!

[Angel Torres · Rating 1 out of 5]

I didn't cared for it at all... the story wasn't scary or even good...

[Satrina T · Rating 4 out of 5]

A man is visiting the attic of an old house where a mysterious man lived. A secret society, in charge of all his matters after his death ensured that everything remained as the man left it. The visitor is warned about the darkness and specially about a mysterious object on a table, he’s told not to touch it… better not even look at it.

There’s something about Lovecraft that always gets me… I don’t know if it’s his way of presenting the scene or creating an ambience that never fails to capture me. If anything, I object to the shortness of this story.

[La Hormiguita Lectora · Rating 3 out of 5]

Hablo de este relato aquí: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X0EPG...

Este ha sido mi primer contacto con Lovecraft. La verdad es que me ha gustado mucho el relato y, pese a lo corto que es, se adivina el estilo del autor, muy detallista. Te dibuja el escenario a la perfección para luego darte el golpe de gracia con el clímax de la trama. Te dejará con mal cuerpo, tal y como el autor pretendía.

[Kaustubh · Rating 3 out of 5]

Peculiar similarities to the Case of Charles Ward. An origin story for Joseph Curwen's European colleagues (Edward Hutchinso or Simon Orne?) Interesting read if you are already invested in Lovecraft. Not a fantastic starting point.

[John Yelverton · Rating 3 out of 5]

A man dabbles in things he has no business in dabbling in and messing with, and he must therefore live with the consequences of his actions.

[Ayesha (Seokjin's Version) ☾ · Rating 3 out of 5]

If someone tell you to stay away from a certain object in a dark, eerie attic; YOU STAY AWAY FROM IT.

[David Sarkies · Rating 3 out of 5]

Don’t Touch!
9 January 2024

So, this is the last of the main stories in the collection that I’m reading. It doesn’t mean that I’ve finished reading the book, it just means that the remainder are some of his earlier, and unfinished, works. Of course, I intend on reading them as well, but it means that I’ve actually managed to now read two of his collections of stories.

This is a story set in an old house where a man is taken up to the top of a tower, or an attic (I believe that it is an attic) but he is told not to touch anything. Well, the attic is full of books, but not books that you would find on the average bookshelf, but rather books dealing with theology, philosophy, and magic (and of course they all tend to be very ancient). Anyway, he also sees a device on which he shines a light, and an image of a priest burning the books appears. That is when he notices people approaching, and when he looks out they run away, and he is chastised for touching something (yes, even shining a light on an object means touching something), and it turns out that he is a priest.

Yes, it is another one of those books about curiosity, the one where our curiosity overcomes us, and it ends up imprisoning us in a tortured existence. Actually, it makes me think of when we are young we are told not to do things, but we do it anyway, and it results in living a tortured life. Like, people who end up doing drugs and finding their lives spiralling out of control.

Another thing is that this story sort of reminded me of the old adventure games that I used to play, and the fact that even in an attic there would be secrets hidden away. Yeah, reading these stories really does make me want to go back and play some of those games again.

[Austin Wright · Rating 5 out of 5]

This was, quite surprisingly, a very awesome read! It reminded me of Clive Barker's Hellraiser! I wish Lovecraft had been able to do more with the story!

FROM WIKIPEDIA:

"The Evil Clergyman" is an excerpt from a letter written by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft in 1933. After his death, it was published in the April 1939 issue of Weird Tales as a short story.

The letter, to his friend Bernard Austin Dwyer, recounted a dream that Lovecraft had had. Although Lovecraft frequently based stories on his dreams, An H. P. Lovecraft Encyclopedia notes that "[i]t is difficult to say how HPL would have developed this conventional supernatural scenario."

http://www.hplovecraft.com/writings/t...

[Danny Welch · Rating 2 out of 5]

Since I had a little time on my hands, I thought I'd dive into another one of H.P Lovecraft's tales of the macabre.

This was a neat little atmospheric story about magical books, a noose, an attic of an ancient house. This story actually started as a dream Lovecraft had one night, where he transcribed it to a friend of his by letter. It's a fun spooky little tale and the twist at the end was definitely a surprise. I'll have to give Lovecraft credit for incorporating dialogue in this story which let it flow quite nicely.

Overall: Nothing too exciting or groundbreaking but it was enjoyable and quite atmospheric as you'd come to expect of Lovecraft but in terms of what happened or how it happened isn't exactly explained or at least not clear enough to the reader. 5/10

[Drennan · Rating 4 out of 5]

Muy intrigante el pensar en cuales eran las verdaderas intenciones de aquel clérigo, leí en reddit la teoría de una persona que decia que era una especie de cultista el cual al ser descubierto realizando actos blasfemos, fue perseguido por el clero, en su huida quemó todos sus libros y en su intento de esconderse, falló y murió; pero dejando una caja que, al ser tocada, transforma al protagonista en el propio clérigo.

Y viendo las reacciones de los que encontraron al protagonista, diciendo cosas como "¿Otra vez?", asumimos que el clérigo no está muerto en realidad, y que usa la caja como medio de distracción para sus captores, confundiendolos con todas las copias falsas de si mismo creadas por la caja.

Otro maravilloso relato del universo de lovecraft.