Edgar Lee Masters
American poet whose Spoon River Anthology consists of epitaphs spoken by the dead citizens of a fictional small town. Its frank treatment of sexuality and corruption was groundbreaking.
Works
- Spoon River AnthologyPoetry collection of dramatic monologues depicting small-town life, death, and human secrets
- Domesday BookPoetry sequence using connected monologues to map a town's history and inhabitants
- The New Spoon RiverLater collection of poems in dramatic monologue form set in an imagined American town