Southern Literary Messenger

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The building that housed the Southern Literary Messenger editorial office in Poe's time . (Photo from 1902; the house was demolished in 1916.)

The Southern Literary Messenger was a magazine published in Richmond , Virginia from August 1834 to June 1864 . It was subtitled (with minor variations) "Dedicated to all areas of literature and the arts". Poems, stories, reports, reviews and articles with historical content were published. The Messenger was founded by Thomas Willis White, who was publisher and occasionally editor-in-chief until his death in 1843. In 1835 White hired Edgar Allan Poe as a writer and critic. In 1864 the magazine ceased to appear. The main reason was the American Civil War .

history

The first edition of Southern Literary Messenger appeared in August 1834. In the first issue, Willis stated that his aim was "to stir the pride and spirit of the South and to awaken the literary creativity of that part of our country from its long slumber." at the time most of the most important magazines in the north, notably in Boston, New York and Philadelphia.

Edgar Allan Poe was editor or chief editor of the paper for some time (see below). After him, Willis again took over this position, followed by Matthew Fontaine Maury (1840 to 1843). After White's death in 1843, Benjamin Blake Minor became editor-in-chief.

content

Berenice by Edgar Allan Poe in Southern Literary Messenger

The Southern Literary Messenger has published poems, short stories, reports, translations, reviews, texts on legal issues and aspects of the history of Virginia . The magazine was mostly published monthly and initially had subscribers in the north of the USA. Gradually, however, it was possible to reach a larger readership in the southern states and to receive contributions from there.

Edgar Allan Poe and the Messenger

In August 1835, Edgar Allan Poe was hired as a writer and reviewer for Messenger . After just a month, Willis fired Poe - allegedly for drinking too much. However, he hired him again in October of the same year. In December 1835, Poe became editor-in-chief of the magazine. While at Messenger , Poe published 37 reviews of US and foreign books and magazines there. His incisive reviews and his judgments based on aesthetic criteria quickly made him known as a literary critic.

In addition to reviews, Poe also published stories on Messenger , including the stories Berenice , Morella and, in sequels, parts of The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket .

Poe left the Messenger in January 1837. Even after his departure, other texts from him appeared there.

Web links

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  1. ↑ Kenneth Silverman : Edgar A. Poe. Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance , New York etc., 1991, pp. 99f. ISBN 978-0-06-092331-0
  2. ^ Edgar Allan Poe's Writings in the Southern Literary Messenger
  3. ↑ Kenneth Silverman: Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance , New York 1991, p. 109ff. ISBN 0060923318