8. Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary,
The Raven, Edgar Allen Poe
The product of a twisted mind or a poetic predecessor of Stephen King, Poe was a struggling poet who rarely earned enough to support himself. Generally credited with inventing the short story and crime fiction, Poe’s work dealt with mystery and the macabre. “Nevermore” is perhaps one of the most famous words of poetry ever written.
