Edgar Allan Poe
Learn more about the poet and short story writer who innovated in horror, science fiction, and detective fiction.
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849)
Edgar Allan Poe had an enormous impact on literature - in the U.S. and around the world. Every modern writer of short stories, detective fiction, science fiction, or horror is indebted to Poe, who strongly influenced or even invented those genres.
By Herbert GehrLIFE Photo Collection
Poe worked as an editor, since he was paid little for his writing. In fact, his work was mostly disparaged during his lifetime, in part because it was so advanced for its time. Whether poetry, fiction, or criticism, it was courageously new and amazingly modern.
Baltimore Ravens Signs (2018-12-01) by MelissaMNOriginal Source: Adobe Stock
Baltimore Ravens
Poe is forever linked with Baltimore, where he lived at the time of his death. The city’s NFL team is named for Poe’s best-known work, “The Raven” (1845).
Poe's Writing Advice
Poe's advice is to write while “keeping originality always in view."
He also recommends keeping the piece short, so as not to push readers beyond “the limits of a single sitting.”
The Man of the Crowd: Edgar Allan Poe and the City (2020-10-20) by Scott Peeples and Michelle Van ParysAmerican Writers Museum
Scott Peeples on Edgar Allan Poe
American Writers Museum Program Director Allison Sansone talks with historian Scott Peeples about Edgar Allan Poe and his book The Man of the Crowd: Edgar Allan Poe and the City.
This conversation originally took place October 27th, 2020.
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