Article: Lovecraft and Ancient Egypt

By: JUAN JOSÉ CASTILLOS

ABSTRACT – H. P. Lovecraft, like many other authors of fiction, mentioned in his vast repertoire of subjects ancient and modern Egypt, dwelling on the mysteries of a land he never visited but that he exploited as a source of horror and unspeakable rites as well as a deep wisdom that if tapped could warn us of dangers lurking in its tombs, monuments and in the human remains of its former inhabitants. The different skill of all the writers of fiction that over the years have dealt with ancient Egypt is revealed by such perceptions and can be compared with profit to illustrate us about how much trouble they took to use the available information at the time to at least provide believable accounts of ancient people. This paper summarizes Lovecraft’s many mentions of Egypt and what all that can tell us about him as a writer.