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Influence of Anxiety: Lovecraft, Bloch, Barlow, et al.

Case 5

A handwritten manuscript of the Lurking Fear
A drawing of a monstrous humanoid with red face, pointed ears, and a beaklike nose
A handwritten document
A drawing of a monstrous green humanoid assisting Abdul Alhazred in writing the Necronomicon

… as a kid I had the usual childhood fears of several things: 1. death, 2. life. …
I was a little bit suspicious about what happened to you if you did too much breathing. *
Robert Bloch speaking at the 1st World Fantasy Convention, 1975

Inspired by the stories he was reading in Weird Tales and other pulp magazines, Robert Bloch created his own illustrations of the creatures in Lovecraft’s fiction and sent them to his mentor as tokens of his admiration. The drawings in this case are Bloch’s interpretations of two stories Lovecraft wrote several years before their correspondence began, demonstrating the teenager’s fascination with the author’s full body of work. Bloch’s illustrations portray important details of the stories he is representing. In The Lurking Fear, Bloch depicts the ape-like menace of Lovecraft’s story with a multi-colored face—perhaps his interpretation of the heterochromia revealed in the story’s conclusion. With Abdul Alhazred writing the Necronomicon, Bloch creates a detailed view of this foundational scene in Lovecraft’s fiction, when the “mad poet of Sanaá, in Yemen, who is said to have flourished during the period of the Ommiade caliphs, circa 700 A.D” drafts the arcane tome of evil and magic.

Artwork was of great importance to Lovecraft and many of the members of his circle. Some were practicing artists, like Clark Ashton Smith, others considered it more of a hobby. Lovecraft himself would regularly send sketches with his letters or decorate the pages and envelopes. Correspondence within the circle often included discussions of the latest cover art and story illustrations for the pulp magazines they were reading. In his letters to Bloch, Lovecraft even suggested submitting certain drawings for possible publication, and it was common for him to praise the young correspondent’s artwork more than his fiction when writing to others.

  • as a kid I had the usual childhood fears of several things: 1. death, 2. life.
  • I was a little bit suspicious about what happened to you if you did too much breathing.

Case Contents:

  • H. P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft (Providence, Rhode Island 1890-1937 Providence, Rhode Island)

    The Lurking Fear

    Circa 1922 November

    Typescript manuscript (twelve page typescript with autograph title page)

    John Hay Library. Howard P. Lovecraft Collection, 1894-1971. MS.Lovecraft
  • Robert Bloch (Chicago, Illinois 1917-1994 Los Angeles, California)

    The Lurking Fear

    1933 December 25

    Crayon on cardboard

    John Hay Library. Star Collection. RARE 3-S PS3523.O82 Z98 L7
  • H. P. (Howard Phillips) Lovecraft (Providence, Rhode Island 1890-1937 Providence, Rhode Island)

    History of the Necronomicon

    Before 1927 November 27

    Autograph manuscript (two pages on one sheet)

    John Hay Library. Howard P. Lovecraft Collection, 1894-1971. MS.Lovecraft

    First page of a two-page manuscript written on a typed letter signed by William Bryant.
  • Robert Bloch (Chicago, Illinois 1917-1994 Los Angeles, California)

    Abdul Alhazred writing the Necronomicon

    Circa 1933-1937

    Crayon on cardboard

    John Hay Library. Star Collection. RARE 3-S PS3523.O82 Z98 L7