H. P. Lovecraft was born in Providence, Rhode Island, in the US in 1890. Influenced by various literary interests, first in the Tales of Arabian Nights, then Greek mythology and also gothic tales told to him by his grandfather, Lovecraft mixed these together with an interest in science and gave voice to his ideas in a series of dark tales of fantasy and horror. He suffered from ill health, at one point having a nervous breakdown, and he was unable to attend university, which was a huge disappointment to him. He died in 1937, but his legacy lives on in a body of work that has inspired countless films, TV series, board games and toys, as well as the work of many other writers.