The Terrible Old Man
Written by H.P. Lovecraft
Narrated by Michael Troy
5/5
()
Currently unavailable
Currently unavailable
About this audiobook
"The Terrible Old Man" is a very short short story (less than 1200 words) by H. P. Lovecraft, written on January 28, 1920, and first published in the Tryout, an amateur press publication, in July 1921. It is notable as the first story to make use of Lovecraft's imaginary New England setting, introducing the fictional town of Kingsport.
Plot: A strange old man, "so old that no one can remember when he was young, and so taciturn that few know his real name," lives alone in an ancient house on Water Street in the town of Kingsport. Even among the locals, few know the details of the old man's life, but it is believed that he once captained East Indian clipper ships in his youth and accumulated great riches throughout his life. Those who had visited the property had seen bizarre collections of stones in the front yard and observed the old man carrying on conversations with mysterious bottles on his table, which make "certain definite vibrations as if in answer." Most locals take care to avoid the man and his house.
The story focuses on Angelo Ricci, Joe Czanek and Manuel Silva, three robbers who learn about the old man's supposed hoard of treasure and resolve to take it. Both Ricci and Silva go inside to "interview" the old man about the treasure, while Czanek waits outside in the getaway car. After waiting impatiently for a long time, Czanek is startled by an outburst of horrific screaming from the house, but assumes that his colleagues have been too rough with the old man during their interrogation. However, the gate of the house opens, revealing the old man "smiling hideously" at him. For the first time, Czanek takes note of the man's unsettling yellow eyes.
The mutilated bodies of the three robbers are later found by the seaside, "horribly slashed as with many cutlasses, and horribly mangled as by the tread of many cruel boot-heels." The people of Kingsport talk about the discovery, as well as about the abandoned car and the screams heard in the night, but the old man shows no interest in their gossip.
H.P. Lovecraft
H. P. Lovecraft (1890-1937) was an American author of science fiction and horror stories. Born in Providence, Rhode Island to a wealthy family, he suffered the loss of his father at a young age. Raised with his mother’s family, he was doted upon throughout his youth and found a paternal figure in his grandfather Whipple, who encouraged his literary interests. He began writing stories and poems inspired by the classics and by Whipple’s spirited retellings of Gothic tales of terror. In 1902, he began publishing a periodical on astronomy, a source of intellectual fascination for the young Lovecraft. Over the next several years, he would suffer from a series of illnesses that made it nearly impossible to attend school. Exacerbated by the decline of his family’s financial stability, this decade would prove formative to Lovecraft’s worldview and writing style, both of which depict humanity as cosmologically insignificant. Supported by his mother Susie in his attempts to study organic chemistry, Lovecraft eventually devoted himself to writing poems and stories for such pulp and weird-fiction magazines as Argosy, where he gained a cult following of readers. Early stories of note include “The Alchemist” (1916), “The Tomb” (1917), and “Beyond the Wall of Sleep” (1919). “The Call of Cthulu,” originally published in pulp magazine Weird Tales in 1928, is considered by many scholars and fellow writers to be his finest, most complex work of fiction. Inspired by the works of Edgar Allan Poe, Arthur Machen, Algernon Blackwood, and Lord Dunsany, Lovecraft became one of the century’s leading horror writers whose influence remains essential to the genre.
More audiobooks from H.P. Lovecraft
The Dunwich Horror: A Full-Cast Audio Drama Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Call of Cthulhu: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Related to The Terrible Old Man
Related audiobooks
The Terrible Old Man (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Terrible Old Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Picture in the House Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsMoonlight and the Pearler's Daughter Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Borgia Portrait: 2 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsHe Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Bishop Must Die Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Sketch-Book of Geoffrey Crayon, Gent. (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Rembrandt Affair Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5He (Unabridged) Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Devil in the Marshalsea Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsTwo Destinies Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsUnder the Black Flag: The Romance and the Reality of Life Among the Pirates Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The House on the Borderland Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Final Account Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Art of the Heist: Confessions of a Master Art Thief, Rock-and-Roller, and Prodigal Son Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Romanov Sisters: The Lost Lives of the Daughters of Nicholas and Alexandra Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Two Tales From H.P. Lovecraft: The Cats of Ulthar, The Terrible Old Man Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Moonstone Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Island that Disappeared: The Lost History of the Mayflower's Sister Ship and Its Rival Puritan Colony Rating: 3 out of 5 stars3/5The Hopkins Manuscript: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Black Arrow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Thick as Thieves - Cherringham - A Cosy Crime Series: Mystery Shorts 4 (Unabridged) Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Who Do You Think You Are? My Ancestors Were Celebrated Tightrope Walkers: Episode 40 Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsThe Adventure of Black Peter Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsPrinces and Peasants Rating: 0 out of 5 stars0 ratingsAbraham Lincoln: A Life 1837-1842: A Righteous Lawyer Deals With an Unhappy Marriage Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Popular Crime: Reflections on the Celebration of Violence Rating: 1 out of 5 stars1/5Lucifer's Shadow Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5
Horror Fiction For You
The Outsider: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Pet Sematary Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5It Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Hidden Pictures: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Misery Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Watchers Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Doctor Sleep: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5House 23: A Thriller Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Mist Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5What Moves the Dead Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Green Mile Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Frankenstein Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Last House on Needless Street Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Ghost Story Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Coraline Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Mr. Mercedes: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5FantasticLand: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Different Seasons Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Holly Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Silence of the Lambs: 25th Anniversary Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Good Marriage Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Dark Tower I: The Gunslinger Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Institute: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5A Head Full of Ghosts Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Cujo Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Legend of Sleepy Hollow: Classic Tales Edition Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Troop Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5Needful Things Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5Piñata: A Novel Rating: 4 out of 5 stars4/5The Reformatory: A Novel Rating: 5 out of 5 stars5/5
Reviews for The Terrible Old Man
1 rating0 reviews