A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson

"A Reminiscence of Dr. Samuel Johnson" is a short story written in 1917 by 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. As the title indicates, the narrative consists of anecdotes about Littlewit's friendship with the famous 18th century English writer, linguist and literary critic Dr. Samuel Johnson.
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."
Category:Lovecraft Circle Works
Category:H. P. Lovecraft works