Imagine a poem about a talking bird. You might think that poem would be silly. Edgar Allan Poe made it scary.
Poe’s poem — “The Raven” — is famous. The 1845 poem takes place at midnight. A man is missing someone he loved named Lenore. The man hears a tapping noise at the door. Nothing’s there. Then, he opens a window. A raven flies in. The man tries to talk to the bird. All the animal says is “nevermore.” The man asks the bird if he will see Lenore again. The bird keeps saying “nevermore.” The man gets angry. He tells the bird to leave. But the bird stays.
This story shows how Poe was able to bring readers into a twisted world. Today, many experts agree that Poe is one of America’s top authors!
Poe was born in Massachusetts in 1809. Poe then lived in Virginia with John and Frances Allan. (That’s how Poe got his middle name, Allan.) Around the age of 13, he began writing poetry. Poe later studied at the University of Virginia and the United States Military Academy at West Point. Poe did well in his classes. But he ended up leaving both schools early.
Through it all, Poe was writing. He published his first book, Tamerlane and Other Poems, in 1827. At first, Poe struggled to make money. But eventually, he had success. Poe wrote many well-known tales. “The Tell-Tale Heart” is about the sound of a heartbeat. “The Fall of the House of Usher” features a freaky mansion. There’s also “The in the Rue .” Experts call that the first example of .
“The Raven” was a hit at the time. It’s still beloved today. It even inspired an NFL team — the Baltimore Ravens. The team’s fans voted on that name. They wanted to honor Poe. He spent much of his life in Baltimore, Maryland.
Poe died in Baltimore at the age of 40. He continues to have an impact. Stephen King is one of the most famous horror writers of all time. King once talked about Poe in an interview. “He followed the of the night,” King said. “The rest of us have been following him ever since.”
Updated October 25, 2023, 5:01 P.M. (ET)
By Ryan Cramer
