Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe

1809–1849

Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American poet, short-story writer and critic, born in Boston and raised in Richmond, Virginia. He is credited with inventing the detective story and shaping modern horror, and he was one of the first American writers to try to live by writing alone.

His poetry is known for its musical rhythm, repetition and themes of loss and the death of a beautiful woman. “The Raven” (1845) made him famous almost overnight; “Annabel Lee”, “The Bells”, “Lenore” and “To Helen” remain widely read. His theory of poetry, set out in “The Philosophy of Composition” and “The Poetic Principle”, influenced Baudelaire and the French Symbolists.

Best-known poems

All poems (86)

In English 13

In French 21

In German 16

In Italian 13