'A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson' by H. P. Lovecraft

"A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson" is a short story written in 1917 by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first published in the September 1917 issue of the United Amateur, under the pseudonym Humphrey Littlewit, Esq.

Chapters:
00:00 - Introduction
00:51 - A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson
13:02 - Further Listening

Narrated by Ian Gordon for HorrorBabble
Music and production by Ian Gordon

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[URLOVED-jx]

What I love about this story is Lovecraft's wordsmithing. It just rolls off the tongue and you do an excellent job of reading it to us!

[jlworrad]

Definitely a side of Lovecraft we rarely see. This is the fan fiction of a very well-read young man.

[feralbluee]

H.P. should have written more like this. it’s very witty and funny. i love his caricatures of such “great” men - and they sound just awful 😂. this was wonderful. thanks, Ian :) 🧐🫢🌹🌱

[niriop]

An interesting curio; you really get Lovecraft’s sense that he was not of his own era, and an “old man” at 27, a feeling I empathise with.

[Shoova]

I can't fathom why this has so few comments... Typically I don't partake in the comments but I'm nonetheless surprised at the lack of them. Thank you for this reading! I'm still working my way from the oldest to the current, but I occasionally take in a newer upload. It's excellent for solitary work in the lab.

[Arwcwb]

This is a good story I'd never heard before - thank you for posting it.

[MacobstonProductions]

Thank you for another wonderful reading.

[ImCarolB]

For some odd reason, I've long wanted to hear the great Edmund Burke address Parliament, if I had a chance to time-travel. I imagine I'm the only one in the world with that goal. This story showcases some of the greatest of their day.

[josephfalco]

"A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson" is a short story written in 1917 by American horror fiction writer H. P. Lovecraft. It was first published in the September 1917 issue of the United Amateur, under the pseudonym Humphrey Littlewit, Esq.
The story is a spoof of Lovecraft's antiquarian affectations. Littlewit, the narrator, is born August 20, 1690–200 years to the day before Lovecraft's birthdate—making him nearly 228 years old as he writes a memoir.
Critic Daniel Harms writes, "While not one of the most inspired of his pieces, it at least shows that HPL realized his pretensions... of being an older, cultured gentleman of an earlier era, and could make fun of himself." wikipedia