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Deep into that darkness peering, long I stood there wondering, fearing,
Doubting, dreaming dreams no mortal ever dared to dream before
Lifestyles of the Poor & Famous
On January 29, 1845, Edgar Allan Poe became an overnight sensation with the New York Evening Mirror’s publication of a poem that still thrills and haunts readers, listeners, and viewers to this day.
Despite the overwhelming popularity of The Raven, it netted Poe a total of $24; over half of that amount was charity that he received for what may have been a draft. Adjusted for inflation, his literary masterpiece netted him a total $754.91 in 2018.
To put this in a contemporary context, think about an international chart-topping single, say Taylor Swift’s Shake it Off. It’s hard to imagine Ms. Swift selling that track, rights and all, to a record label for a little over $750.
The Raven went viral, first in the US, then in Europe. It has become so deeply ingrained in contemporary culture that we’re still reciting, remixing, and reimagining it in various media to this day.
Poe’s exquisitely crafted poem may have won him recognition, but his writing failed to earn him superstar riches. Poe’s lifetime earnings for 20 years’ worth of poetry, prose, and non-fiction amounted to $6,200, or $195,018 adjusted for inflation.
That’s about $9,750 per year – probably the sum that Taylor Swift makes as she sings Shake it Off at one of her shows. That may be stretching the truth, but
