America has many great writers. Some I have read; others, surprisingly, I haven't though I known about them for years. I have never read the works of Ernest Hemingway and William Faulkner, two icons of American literature. I enjoy reading John Steinbeck (East of Eden, The Pearl). There are three authors that are my favorites.
Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) is my favorite. Noted for his poem, The Raven, Poe was a great short story writer. His famous stories are The Fall of the House of Usher, The Pit and the Pendulum, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. Poe is considered the father of the detective story. He wrote numerous tales of horror. Edgar Allan Poe wrote and created so much in his short and tragic life.
Herman Melville (1819-1891) of Moby Dick fame is an underrated and under appreciated author. His prose (Bartleby, Scrivener; Billy Budd) is amazing. His other works are Typee; the Confidence-Man; Benito Cereno; and The Piazza Tales. Melville also wrote poetry about the horrors of the Civil War.
Jack Kerouac is an author I came to a decade or so ago. I first became acquainted with his work when I read On The Road. I have also read Dharma Bums (my favorite), Big Sur, Desolation Alley, and Jack's Book. Kerouac also wrote poetry and haikus.
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