Raven

Edgar Allan Poe, who lived from 1809 to 1849, was an American writer of poems, tales and criticism, and a pioneer of the detective story and of modern horror. His life was short and troubled, but his reputation has only grown, and The Raven is the work that made him famous during his own lifetime.

The poem was published in 1845. It tells of a mourning student, a nocturnal visitor and a refrain that carries the whole piece to its conclusion. Poe later wrote an essay about how he composed it, describing a deliberate, almost mathematical effort to produce an effect on the reader. Whether or not one believes every claim in that essay, the poem certainly delivers: the incantatory rhythm, the internal rhymes and the long, hypnotic lines have been imitated, parodied and quoted ever since. It has also been adapted for stage, screen and music, and it is one of the most widely recited poems in American literature.

This recording is a single chapter of about twelve minutes, read by the LibriVox volunteer Chris Goringe. Poetry of this kind lives in the voice, and a good reading lets the sound of the words do much of the work: the rising dread, the sudden hush, the final heavy line. If you have only ever met the poem on a page, hearing it spoken will change how it feels. It is an obvious choice for a dark night in autumn, and an easy way to spend a short, thrilling stretch of time. It is a short piece, but it has the feel of a full evening, and many listeners return to it every autumn like an old and slightly unsettling friend.