Portal:Edgar Allan Poe/Selected article
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Thomas Holley Chivers (October 18, 1807 – December 18, 1858) was an American poet from Georgia. He is today best known for his friendship with Edgar Allan Poe and his controversial defense of the poet after his death.
Born into a wealthy Georgia family, Chivers became interested in poetry at a young age. After he and his first wife separated, he received a medical degree from Transylvania University but focused his energy on publishing rather than medicine. Edgar Allan Poe showed an interest in the young poet and encouraged his work. Chivers spent the last few years of his life defending the reputation of Poe, who had died in 1849, though he also thought Poe had been heavily influenced by his own poetry. He claimed in particular that "The Raven" and "Ulalume" were directly taken from his own work. Chivers died in Georgia in 1858.
As a literary critic, Chivers believed in divine inspiration. He encouraged the development of a distinct American style of literature and especially promoted young writers. His poems were known for religious overtones and an emphasis on death and reunions with lost loves in the afterlife. Though he built up a mild reputation in his day, he was soon forgotten after his death.
