Biography of Howard Lovecraft. The best books by Howard Lovecraft

The name of Howard Lovecraft became known in Russia in the early 90s. It was then that the first translations of his stories appeared in Russia. The popularity of this author's works is growing every year. It is interesting that during his lifetime, the works of Howard Lovecraft were not appreciated, and interest in his unusual stories appeared only after the death of the author.

Most readers are accustomed to thinking of the King of Horror, but Lovecraft's stories are much scarier and sometimes evoke animal horror. Howard Lovecraft began writing his first stories at the age of 6. From the first stories of the author, you can understand that he can add a touch of real horror to even the simplest things.

Throughout his time, Lovecraft wrote 115 stories, 44 of which were co-authored. Unfortunately, most early works were lost. In this collection we will talk about the best books by H. P. Lovecraft. Thanks to the author's works, new genre – Lovecraftian horror, that is, fear is not built on physical fear, but on the psychological horror of the unknown. This is what makes his books so creepy.

The entire work of Howard Loughcraft is conventionally divided into three cycles - the Cthulhu Mythos, Deadly Stories and the Dream cycle. The stories are not connected by anything other than a common theme. And the Cthulhu Mythos series includes works by many authors, including Stephen King.

"The Crypt" (1917)

"The Crypt" is a short story written by Lovecraft at age 27. Belongs to the series of Deadly Stories.

This is the story of Jervis Dudley, who dreamed of getting into the crypt of an old family. At first he did not succeed, and he decided that he would wait for the right opportunity. Having fallen asleep at the crypt, in his sleep it seemed to him that light was emanating from the tomb. He runs into the house and finds the treasured key to the door. In the crypt he finds his coffin. And from that moment on, Jervis changed a lot. Now he spends the night in the crypt. And during the day they watch him. But what is really happening to him? What secrets does the old tomb hide? Or has the hero simply gone crazy?

"Dagon" (1917)

"Dagon" - fantastic story, in which the main leitmotif of Lovecraft’s work is manifested - the awareness of the insignificance of man in a world where there are unknown and powerful forces.

The story is told on behalf of a man who saw the ancient sea deity Dagon. But this is not just his story, but a suicide note where he will tell what really happened. This happened during the First World War. The narrator was sailing on a packet boat when he was captured by German soldiers. He managed to escape on a boat, but this escape turned into a nightmare.

"Cats of Ulthar" (1920)

“Cats of Ulthar” is a story belonging to the Dream cycle.

The events take place in the city of Ulthar, where she lived old couple, who hates cats. They killed these animals and local residents there was nothing they could do. One day a caravan came to the city. In this caravan there was a boy and his only friend - a black kitten. The kitten disappeared, and when the child was told who was to blame, the boy asked the deities to take revenge on those who were guilty. Since then, it is forbidden to kill cats in the city of Ulthar.

"The Music of Erich Zann" (1921)

“The Music of Erich Zann” is a mystical story that leaves more mysteries than answers. Belongs to the series of Deadly Stories.

The narrator lives in Paris, in the same house with a mute musician. Erich Zann lives a secluded life, but cannot exist without his music. This music is mesmerizing. She is able to fight the unknown. The narrator meets the genius of music, but very quickly stops communicating, continuing to listen to the mesmerizing music.

"Herbert West - Re-Animator" (1921-1922)

“Herbert West - Re-Animator” is a horror story, consisting of six mini-stories located in chronological order. Based on this story, a film was released in 1985, and later a series of horror comics began to be published. It is in this book that zombies are first mentioned as the risen dead.

The main character is Herbert West. He is a medical student who is trying not just to understand death, but to find a way to defeat it. A creepy story Herbert’s friend, who had to assist in strange experiments, talks about the fight against death.

"Somnambulant search for the unknown Kadath" (1926-1927)

“The Somnambulistic Search for the Unknown Kadath” is considered the main work in the Dream cycle. This series is the smallest and has only 9 stories: “Memory”, “White Ship”, “Celephais”, “Cats of Ulthar”, “Punishing Doom on Sarnatom”, “Other Gods”, “Somnambulant Search for the Unknown Kadath”, “Search for Iranon” " and "Hypnos".

"The Somnambulistic Search for the Unknown Kadath" is the story of Randolph Carter, who travels through the world of dreams every night. And in one of his dreams he sees a beautiful city that has captured his thoughts. He asks his Gods to open the way to this city for him, but the Gods are not only deaf, they no longer show him this miracle. Then he decides to find it himself. And the very creatures that inspire terror during the day come to his aid.

This story has a sequel, "The Gate of the Silver Key" and "The Silver Key." These stories have a familiar hero, but the atmosphere is completely different. That is why the continuation of the novel “The Somnambulistic Search for the Unknown Kadath” is not classified as a cycle of Dreams.

"Color from Other Worlds" (1927)

“Color from Other Worlds” is a horror story with elements science fiction. Part of the Deadly Stories series. The author himself called this work his best work.

A meteorite fell on the farm of an ordinary American family. At first nothing happened. Everything was fine, but over time, a strange light began to come from the meteorite, which people had not seen before. And then events are described that amaze with their horror and otherworldly reality.

"Call of Cthulhu" (1926)

“The Call of Cthulhu” is the first story in which Cthulhu appears, an ancient deity and the embodiment of evil.

"Call of Cthulhu" consists of three parts:

Horror embodied in clay. The image of Cthulhu appears on a clay bas-relief. A simple image leads to a series of events that will lead the police to the religious sect.
The story of police inspector Legrasse. The hero of this part talks about a sect that worshiped Cthulhu. Members of the sect believe that Cthulhu will soon come to this world.
Madness emerging from the sea. In this part, not only the secret of the ancient deity will be revealed, but also he himself. Ordinary sailors accidentally found the ancient sea city of R'lyeh, where pure evil lives.

After this story, in other works of H. P. Lovecraft one can find various references not only to Cthulhu, but also to other ancient deities that embody evil and horror.

In the bookstore you can find a large collection called “Cthulhu”, which includes many stories, both from the “Cthulhu Mythos” series and from other series.

"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" (1927)

"The Case of Charles Dexter Ward" is one of Lovecraft's most voluminous works. The story has everything that a lover of mysticism and horror can only dream of.

The action of the story is looped. The beginning and end take place in a mental hospital. Charles was there because of his quest to discover his family's past. This is how he learns that he is like his ancestor, who was a sorcerer. But what will the disclosure of all the truth lead to? Charles will literally resurrect the past in order to disappear into oblivion himself.

"The Whisperer in the Dark" (1930)

“The Whisperer in the Dark” is a story that has common features with “The Color of Other Worlds” and parallels with the “Cthulhu Mythos” series. At the same time, this story does not belong to cycles. But some publishers certainly include this work in collections of stories where Cthulhu appears.

After the flood, Professor Wilmarth hears rumors about strange creatures, which are popping up around Vermont. At this time, Henry Ackley writes to him, telling him that he has evidence of the existence of an extraterrestrial race. After a heated correspondence, the professor agrees to come to Vermont to find out the truth for himself. But he will have to escape from Ackley's house to tell the world the truth.

"The Ridges of Madness" (1931)

"The Ridges of Madness" is a full-fledged horror novel with elements of science fiction. This book is one of the main books in the Cthulhu Mythos series. It is in this story that mention of the offspring of Cthulhu appears.

The plot revolves around a polar expedition that finds ancient city. But instead scientific discovery, the members of the expedition are in for a waking nightmare. No one can fail to meet the ancient evil, which takes on different forms. The world of the gods does not like when their peace is disturbed. In addition, aliens also appear in the story, which will further aggravate the situation.

Of course, this is a small part of what Howard Lovecraft wrote, but it is these books that will most fully acquaint the reader with the author’s style and his talent.

P.S.

While preparing this top, we came across a very interesting request. Many people are looking for a book called "Necronomicon".

The Necronomicon is often mentioned in Lovecraft's works. In the story "The Witch's Lair" it is said that the Necronomicon contains everything magical rituals And full story Ancient Gods. In reality, this book does not exist. It was invented by the author to give the story a more real meaning. Critics agreed that the Necronomicon has real prototypes.

At the same time, in 2011, one small publication published a collection of Lovecraft’s stories called “Necronomicon”. It's just a collection of short stories, and not the best one at that. The translation was done by a certain Nina Bavina, who brought a lot of her own, which almost completely destroyed the style of the writer himself. So you shouldn’t even take this book into account if you are going to get acquainted with the work of the great author.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft(English) Howard Phillips Lovecraft, August 20, Providence, Rhode Island, USA - March 15, ibid.) - American writer and poet who wrote in the genres of horror, mysticism, combining them in an original style. The founder of the Cthulhu Mythos. During Lovecraft's lifetime, his works were not very popular, but after his death they had an impact. noticeable influence on the formation of modern mass culture. His work is so unique that Lovecraft's works stand out as a separate subgenre - the so-called Lovecraftian horror.

Biography

Lovecraft at the age of 9-10 years.

Lovecraft was raised by his mother, two aunts and his grandfather (Whipple Van Buren Phillips), who sheltered the future writer's family. Howard was a child prodigy - he recited poetry by heart at the age of two, and by the age of six he was already writing his own. Thanks to his grandfather, who had the largest library in the state, he was introduced to classical literature. In addition to the classics, he became interested in Gothic prose and Arabian tales of the Thousand and One Nights.

At the age of 6-8, Lovecraft wrote several stories, most of which have not survived to this day. At the age of 14, Lovecraft wrote his first serious work, “The Beast in the Cave.”

As a child, Lovecraft was often ill, and he went to school only at the age of eight, but a year later he was taken away from there. He read a lot, studied chemistry in between, and wrote several works (copying them on a hectograph in small editions), starting in 1899 (“Scientific Newspaper”). Four years later he returned to school.

Whipple Van Buren Phillips died in 1904, after which the family became greatly impoverished and was forced to move to a smaller house on the same street. Howard was saddened by the departure and even contemplated suicide. Due to a nervous breakdown that happened to him in 1908, he never finished school, which he was very ashamed of.

Lovecraft wrote science fiction as a child (“The Beast in the Cave” (), “The Alchemist” ()), but later preferred poetry and essays to it. He returned to this “frivolous” genre only in 1917 with the stories “Dagon”, then “The Tomb”. "Dagon" became his first published creation, appearing in 1923 in the magazine "Mysterious Stories" ( Weird Tales). At the same time, Lovecraft began his correspondence, which eventually became one of the most voluminous in the 20th century. His correspondents included Forrest Ackerman, Robert Bloch and Robert Howard.

Sarah, Howard's mother, after a long period of hysteria and depression, ended up in the same hospital where her husband died, and died there on May 21, 1921. She wrote to her son until her last days.

Despite his success as a writer, Lovecraft became increasingly needy. He moved again, this time to a small house. Strong impression he was affected by Robert Howard's suicide. In 1936, the writer was diagnosed with intestinal cancer, a consequence of malnutrition. Howard Phillips Lovecraft died on March 15, 1937 in Providence, Rhode Island, USA.

Literary creativity

Predecessors

Writers whose work influenced Lovecraft primarily include Edgar Allan Poe, Edward Dunsany, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, Ambrose Bierce, Lafcadio Hearn.

Followers

August Derleth

Perhaps the most important of Lovecraft's followers, both in terms of chronology and continuity, is August Derleth. Despite the fact that many authors subsequently turned to the pantheon of cosmic gods created by Lovecraft, it was Derleth who became the creator and head of the Arkham House publishing house, which published the works of Lovecraft himself, Derleth and everyone who in one way or another came into contact with the works created by Lovecraft worlds. Derleth was also quite successful as a writer, although he could not match the power of his teacher. However, he was a publishing genius - books from the Arkham House publishing house from that period are now bibliographic rarities. Moreover, this was a rare case when a publishing house was created for the work of a specific person.

Stephen King

Lovecraft's work, which influenced the popular culture of the West, left an indelible mark on the work of countless writers who worked and are working in the genre of mysticism and horror. One of Lovecraft’s creative heirs is the famous “King of Horror” Stephen King. The most striking work in which Stephen King does not imitate the storytelling style of Howard Lovecraft, but pays tribute to the latter’s talent, is the story “Crouch End”, filmed by the TNT film company in the collection of short stories “Nightmares and Fantasies of Stephen King”. King's works clearly show traces of the influence of Lovecraft. Thus, the novel “It” directly refers the reader to cosmic horror that came from time immemorial. It should be noted, however, that King's horror can be quite clearly divided into three main parts: cosmic (Lovecraft), afterlife and scientific (Mary Shelley).

Among other things, most of Stephen King's books take place in small American towns, which is also typical of the works of Lovecraft, who believed that the most terrible things happen in quiet places.

"Necronomicon" and books in the works of Lovecraft

Lovecraft usually referred to ancient books that contained secrets that man should not know. Most of the references were fictitious, but some occult works actually existed. The combination of fictional documents with real ones in the same context allowed the former to appear real. Lovecraft gave only general references to such books (mostly to build atmosphere) and rarely made detailed description. The most famous of these fictional manuscripts is his "Necronomicon", about which the writer spoke most. His explanations of this text were so well thought out that many people to this day believe in the reality of this book, and this allows some to profit from the ignorance of others.

The Book of Eibon, Livre d'Eibon, or Liber Ivonis

Currently, Lovecraft's collections are regularly republished in Russia by at least three major publishing houses - Azbuka, AST, Eksmo.

Works of Howard Lovecraft

The most famous and significant works:

Herbert West - Re-Animator (1922)

Screen adaptation

Several dozen films have been made based on Lovecraft's works. The most famous of them were created by directors Stuart Gordon, Brian Yuzna and others:

Currently in Russia, in Vladivostok, the film “The Shadow over Arkham” is being filmed (film blog - community.livejournal.com/hpl_movie_blog), also based on the works of Lovecraft.

Computer games

Alone in the Dark (Quest, 1992)

Call of Cthulhu: Shadow of the Comet (Quest, 1993)

Prisoner of Ice (Quest/Survival horror, 1995)

Legacy (RPG, 1996)

Necronomicon: The Dawning of Darkness (Quest, 2001)

Call of Cthulhu: Dark Corners of the Earth (Action/Adventure, 2006)

Sherlock Holmes 3: The Secret of Cthulhu (Quest, 2007)

Darkness Within - In Pursuit of Loath Nolder (Quest, 2007)

Penumbra: Black Plague (Adventure/Survival horror/Action, 2008)

Notes

Literature

L. Sprague De Camp. Lovecraft: A Biography. - St. Petersburg: Amphora, 2008. - P. 656. - ISBN 978-5-367-00815-9

Lovecraft Howard: Childhood

The future author of The Call of Cthulhu was born in 1890. The name of the writer’s hometown is Providence, translated as “providence.” It will be placed on his gravestone in the form of a prophecy: I am providence (“I am providence”). Since childhood, Lovecraft Howard suffered from nightmares, the main characters of which were creepy monsters, which later migrated into his works. One of the works, "Dagon", is such a recorded dream. Researchers of the writer’s work note that this story has become an example of continuity in the author’s works. In Dagon one can see the beginnings of future works.

The greatest influence on the writer was his grandfather, the owner of the most extensive library in the state, where little Howard spent most of his time. There he discovered the Arabic Tales of the 1001 Nights, which greatly influenced his work, giving rise to one of the characters - the author of the book "Necronomicon" Abdul Alhazred. But most of all, young Lovecraft was interested in astronomy; his works were even published in scientific journals. As a schoolboy, he wrote his first horror story, “The Beast in the Dungeon,” after which he became famous as a poet.

Leitmotifs of the works of Howard Lovecraft

As his popularity grew, Lovecraft began corresponding with other science fiction writers. He became especially close to the author of Conan the Barbarian, Robert E. Howard. Their works overlap in many ways: the same Ancient gods, magical rituals and manuscripts are found. The writer was strongly influenced by the work of Bosch. In 1927, he published a work on the supernatural, in which he analyzed the origin and development of the new literary direction: horror stories.

He describes the development of Gothic prose, arguing that human consciousness hides behind ignorance so as not to go crazy from the inability to understand all the complexities and interconnections of the world. The author builds the plots of his works on the basis of the premise that the peculiarities of human perception of reality have no meaning for higher beings and other biological forms. This leitmotif first appears in Dagon, after which it is reflected in the most popular story written by H. P. Lovecraft - The Call of Cthulhu, as well as in the story The Shadow Over Innsmouth.

"Call of Cthulhu"

Lovecraft Howard was contacted by some researchers with the Masonic order and the occultist Aleister Crowley. The reason for this was his creativity, including a whole pantheon of ancient gods described in stories and tales. The mythology created by the writer was called the “Cthulhu Mythos”: in honor of the deity who first appeared in the story “The Call of Cthulhu”, who is neither the most important nor the most terrible in the pantheon. It is this that has earned the greatest popularity among admirers of such a master of depicting horror as Howard Lovecraft. Reviews of his books, especially with the presence of this character, are mostly enthusiastic; they awaken interest in the author’s work.

Howard Lovecraft: books by the author

What other works of the writer are still popular today? We can safely say that the majority. Every reader finds something attractive and exciting in Lovecraft's various works. But we can highlight several main masterpieces among them:

One of the best is the story “The Whisperer in the Dark” - about an alien race of intelligent mushrooms. It is part of the Cthulhu Mythos and echoes other works of Lovecraft.
“Color from Other Worlds,” which the author himself considered his best work. The story is about a family of farmers and terrible events that happened to her after the meteorite fell.
"The Ridges of Madness" - a novel, one of central works, which features the Cthulhu mythology. It contains the first mention of the alien race Elders (or Elders).
“Shadow from Timelessness” is another story about an extraterrestrial civilization that has captured the minds of earthlings.

Lovecraft's Legacy

The mythology created by Howard Lovecraft inspires Stephen King, August Derleth and other famous modern writers, famous for their “creepy” works. Lovecraft characters appear in computer games and cinema. He himself is called Edgar Poe of the 20th century. Based on several books, including The Dunwich Horror, it was invented board game about the awakening of Ancient Evil. The image of Cthulhu is replicated in popular culture, even an unconventional religious organization, known as the Cult of Cthulhu. Although it is difficult to say whether a writer of such popularity would be happy if he lived to this day. There is only one doubt that Lovecraft’s work will be relevant for a very long time.

Howard Phillips Lovecraft born August 20, 1890 in Providence, Rhode Island. His parents, mother Sarah Susan Phillips Lovecraft and father Winfield Scott Lovecraft, then lived at 454 (then 194) Angell Street.

When Howard was three years old, his father suffered a nervous breakdown while in a Chicago hotel (he worked as a traveling salesman) and was subsequently institutionalized for five years until his death on July 19, 1898.

After the death of his father, the boy was raised by his mother, two aunts and, especially, his grandfather - Whipple Van Buren Phillips. My grandfather had the most extensive library in the city (and maybe in the entire state), and this played an important role in shaping Howard’s reading habits. He began to read and write himself early (even earlier he began simply composing spoken poetry). And one of the first works that he noted as the most beloved and impressed him was “Tales of 1001 Nights” (Arabian Nights), which he first read at the age of five. It was from there that Abdul Alhazred was born, who later became the pseudonym of the author himself, and even later - the character of his stories, the author of the Necronomicon. And it was to this book that Lovecraft owed eastern motifs in his subsequent work. Since childhood, the author also loved the Greek myths, the Iliad and the Odyssey, reflections of which we can also find later in his poetry and prose.

WITH early childhood Lovecraft was in poor health. Having practically no friends, he spent most of his time with his grandfather in the library. But his interests were not limited to literature as a profession. He was seriously interested in chemistry, astronomy, and history (especially the history of his native state and New England). Also in school age independently began to publish newspapers and magazines dedicated to his scientific interests and research (The Scientific Gazette (1899-1907) and The Rhode Island Journal of Astronomy (1903-07)). They were distributed mainly among classmates and subsequent friends and associates.

At school (Hope Street High School), his interests and research are approved by teachers, who replace Howard with friends among his peers. And in 1906, his article on astronomy was first published by The Providence Sunday Journal. He later became a regular columnist for The Pawtuxet Valley Gleaner on astronomy. And even later in such publications as The Providence Tribune (1906-08), The Providence Evening News (1914-18) and The Asheville (N.C.) Gazette-News (1915).

In 1904, Howard's grandfather dies. He and his mother, experiencing financial difficulties, are forced to leave the mansion in which they lived and move to a cramped apartment at 598 Angell Stirth. Howard was very upset about the loss of his home, where he was born and which was his family. In 1908, Howard himself suffered a nervous breakdown, which forced him to leave school without graduating. An attempt to enroll at Brown University ends in failure, which leads to Lovecraft's even more reclusive lifestyle.

From 1908 to 1913, Lovecraft practically did not leave home, continuing to study astronomy and poetry. The exit from seclusion took place in a very original way. While reading through many old "cheap" magazines, among which was The Argosy, he came across love stories one Fred Jackson. This prompted him to write an angry letter to the magazine. It was published in 1913 and caused a storm of protest from Jackson admirers. This led to a whole correspondence on the pages of the magazine, in which many people and authors were involved. Among them was Edward F. Daas, president of the United Amateur Press Association (UAPA). It was an organization of young authors from all over the country who wrote and published their own magazines. He invites Lovecraft to become a member of the UAPA. And in 1914 his proposal was accepted.

Lovecraft begins to publish his own magazine, The Conservative (1915-23), in which he publishes his poetry, as well as articles and essays written both specifically for this publication and those that he sent to other magazines. Total comes out to 13 releases of The Conservative. Necronomicon Press would later reprint these issues, among other works by Lovecraft. Lovecraft subsequently became President and Editor-in-Chief of UAPA.

Already having experience writing fiction previously ("The Beast in the Cave" (1905) and "The Alchemist" (1908)) and now plunging into the world of amateur prose, Lovecraft again took up his pen as a science fiction writer. For the first time since 1908. "Successfully published in 1917" The Tomb" and "Dagon". Now the author's main occupation and passion is prose, poetry and journalism.

In 1919, Lovecraft's mother had a nervous attack. And, just like his father, she is placed in a clinic, from where she does not leave until her death. She dies on May 24, 1921. Lovecraft is very upset by the death of his mother, but a few weeks later a serious change occurs in his life - at a conference of amateur journalists in Boston on July 4, 1921, he meets the woman who would later become his wife. It was Sonia Haft Green, Jewish Russian origin, seven years older than Howard himself. From the first meeting they find a lot in common in each other and Lovecraft often visits her in Brooklyn in 1922. Their relationship was not a secret and therefore the announcement of the wedding on March 3, 1924 did not come as a surprise to their friends. But this was a complete surprise for his aunts, whom he notified only in in writing and then, after the marriage has already taken place.

Lovecraft moved to his wife in Brooklyn and things in their family were not going badly - he was already earning money as a professional writer, publishing his early works in Weird Tales, and Sonya runs a thriving hat shop on Fifth Avenue in New York.

But later the store goes bankrupt, and Lovecraft loses his job as an editor at Weird Tales. In addition, Sonino’s health is deteriorating and she is admitted to a New Jersey hospital. On January 1, 1925, Sonya left for Cleveland to start a business there, and Lovecraft moved into a one-room apartment in a Brooklyn neighborhood called Red Hook. Having many acquaintances in the city, he does not feel completely alien and abandoned. At this time, such things as “The Shunned House” (1924), “The Horror at Red Hook” and “He” (both also 1924) came out from his pen.

At the beginning of 1926, Lovecraft plans to return to Providence, which he has been missing all this time. At the same moment, his marriage cracked and later (in 1929) completely broke up.

Returning to Providence on April 17, 1926, Lovecraft does not lead a reclusive lifestyle, as he did in the period from 1908 to 1913. On the contrary, he travels a lot to ancient places (Quebec, New England, Philadelphia, Charleston, St. Augustine) and works fruitfully . During this time he wrote some of his best works, including "The Call of Cthulhu" (1926), "At the Mountains of Madness" (1931), "The Shadow out of Time" (1934-35). At the same time, he maintains extensive correspondence both with his old friends and with many young authors who owe their careers in this field largely to Lovecraft (August Derleth, Donald Wandrei, Robert Bloch, Fritz Leiber). At this time, he wrote many articles on politics and economics, as well as on all those subjects that continued to interest him - from philosophy and literature to history and architecture.

The last two or three years of the author’s life were especially difficult. In 1932, one of his aunts, Miss Clarke, died and in 1933 Lovecraft moved into a room at 66 College Street with his second aunt, Miss Gunwell. After the suicide of Robert E. Howard, one of his closest pen pals, Lovecraft fell into depression. At the same time, the disease progresses, which will later cause his death - intestinal cancer.

In the winter of 1936-1937, the disease progressed so much that Lovecraft was admitted to the Jane Brown Memorial Hospital on March 10, 1937. Where he died five days later.

Lovecraft was buried on March 18, 1937 in the family plot at Swan Point Cemetery. On a simple tombstone, in addition to the name, dates of birth and death, there is only one inscription - “I AM PROVIDENCE”...