Louis Ritman 1889–1963 American “Those who dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream only by night.” ― Edgar Allan Poe, Eleonora
“And neither the angels in Heaven above Nor the demons down under the sea Can ever dissever my soul from the soul Of the beautiful Annabel Lee.” -Annabel Lee, Edgar Allan Poe
OK, confession. When I’m wanting to add a classic to my bookshelves, I research which available version has the cover artwork that I like the most. What can I say? I’m a sucker for beautiful books.
"For a moment she remained trembling and reeling to and fro upon the threshold, then, with a low moaning cry, fell heavily inward upon the person of her brother, and in her violent and now final death-agonies, bore him to the floor a corpse, and a victim to the terrors he had anticipated.“
Honestly, any poetry is DA poetry if you can recite it from memory or sound intelligent while speaking of it.
• T. S. Elliot
Didn’t write much poetry, but what he did write is dense with meaning
• Wisława Szymborska
Any of her poems are instant winners, for a great collection I would recommend Map: Collected and Last Poems
• William Shakespeare
Classic, cannot go wrong with any of his works
• Anne Sexton
For bonus points, listen to the song “Mercy Street” by Peter Gabriel based on the poem “45 Mercy Street”
• John Milton
Paradise Lost is always recognizable by name
• Homer
Both The IliadandThe Odyssey are the best known works, bonus points if you are able to read them in their original Greek for the full effect
• Edgar Allen Poe
Although The Raven is his most notable work of poetry, his short stories are also enjoyable
• Robert Frost
An acquired taste compared to my other favourite poets, but my top four are definitely “The Road Not Taken”, “Mending Wall”, “Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening”, and “Acquainted With the Night”
• Mark Twain
Recognizable in name and work
• Lord Byron
An older poet, much of his language is obsolete in the modern era yet conveys meanings we could not hope to comprehend without it
• Sappho
An excellent romantic, “Slender Aphrodite has overcome me with longing for a girl” Bonus points if you read it in the original Greek for the full effect
• Walt Whitman
The modern-day version of a classical poet: free verse is his specialty!
• Edgar Allan Poe
The O.G. dark academic, the literature teacher’s favourite Halloween lesson. Nothing can beat the simple and unsettling Poetry of Poe!
• Oscar Wilde
Nothing will ever be as iconic as The Picture of Dorian Gray has become in the DA aesthetic! a definite must-read.
October is American Archives Month. To celebrate, we are highlighting our staff around the country and their favorite records from the holdings in the National Archives.
Today’s staff member is Leslie Simon, Archives Director at the National Archives at Philadelphia. Her favorite records are 2 pages from the Bankruptcy petition of Edgar Allen Poe, under the Bankruptcy Act of 1841. This was also filed in the Eastern District of Pennsylvania. Petition [from the File Unit 12089325 - Case 1304, Edgar A. Poe]. http://research.archives.gov/description/12089326.
Here is what she has to say:
“I like these because: 1. No one knew Poe had ever filed for bankruptcy before the listing “E.A. Poe” in the docket book caught the eye of one of the staff here (Jefferson Moak) while he was working on a request. Poe wrote to a friend that he hoped to take advantage of this act, but did not have enough money to file. Presumably someone did loan him that money, or maybe even paid for it for him; he or she may be among the creditors listed. 2. These documents reflect the pathos of Poe’s life. He owed money for doctors, for rent, for books, for his wife’s piano lessons, for paper, for “notes to hand” to people from Virginia to New York. “The petitioner is possessed of no Property, real, personal or mixed, beyond his wearing apparel and a few printed sheets, of no use to anyone else, and of no value to anyone.” The mystique of Poe’s life is captured in these very un-mythic documents.”
Like many smart people, Edgar Allen Poe was a fan of cats. Notably, he had a tortoiseshell who would sit on his shoulder as he wrote, whom he named Catterina, which is a much better cat name than Lovecraft’s.
BONUS FACT! In addition to popularising the short story format (with some even saying that he coined the term “short story”, which I’m in of dubious of, personally), Poe also was one of the first, if not THE first, writers in the detective story genre.
His character C. Auguste Dupin, from the stories Murder of the Rue Morgueandthe Purloined Letter, establishing many elements which would be later adopted by characters such as Sherlock Holmes (who references Dupin several times within his own stories, albeit as a fictional character within Holmes’ universe).
