“There neither exists nor can exist any work more thoroughly dignified…” — Edgar Allan Poe

“There neither exists nor can exist any work more thoroughly dignified — more supremely noble than this very poem — this poem per se — this poem which is a poem and nothing more — this poem written solely for the poem’s sake.”

Defending the autonomy of poetry written purely for its own sake · Essay, The Poetic Principle

Edgar Allan Poe

About Edgar Allan Poe

19 January 1809–7 October 1849

Edgar Allan Poe stands as one of the most enigmatic and influential figures in American literature, a writer whose troubled life and haunting works have captivated readers for nearly two centuries. Born Edgar Poe on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, he would live only forty years before his mysterious death…

More by Edgar Allan Poe