'Just the right word, or phrase'

 

“Theywho dream by day are cognizant of many things which escape those who dream onlyby night.” – Edgar Allan Poe
Poe was born in Boston on this date in 1809.   A key figure in the worldwideRomanticism movement, he wasboth a poet and one of America's earliest writers of short mysteries, many of which were macabre in nature.

The first well-known American writerto try to make a living by writing alone, Poe had spurts of decent amounts of income followed by periods ofdestitution.  Ultimately, his lack ofincome may have been a contributing factor to his early death.  But the actual cause of his death at age 40has never been determined, and has been the subject of many movies and “whodunit?”books.
Poe probably would have likedthat.  He enjoyed writing both a good mysteryand a good detective story.  Sir ArthurConan Doyle noted, "Each [of Poe's detective stories] is a rootfrom which a whole literature has developed . . . Where was the detective storyuntil Poe breathed the breath of life into it?"  The Mystery Writers of America have namedtheir annual awards for excellence, "Edgars.”
His use of  “justthe right word or turn of phrase” also might reflect back to his love of poetry.                           He oncenoted,  “I would define, in brief, thepoetry of words as the rhythmical creation of Beauty.”