Edgar Allen Poe

An item at American Writers Museum

Edgar Allen Poe had 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 these genres.

Poe's life was difficult, marked by personal loss and professional disappointment. He 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

AMERICAN VOICES

An exhibit at American Writers Museum

American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.

This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.

American Writers Museum