The Black Riders, and Other Lines

"The Black Riders, and Other Lines" by Stephen Crane is a poetry collection published in 1895. Composed of sixty-eight untitled poems written in spare, unconventional verse, this volume explores humanity's relationship with a vengeful God and questions of faith. Written when Crane was just twenty-three and inspired by Emily Dickinson's work, these provocative "lines" challenged religious conventions and sparked controversy for their apparent anti-religious themes. Crane himself considered it more ambitious than his famous novel "The Red Badge of Courage."

The Black Riders, and Other Lines, by Stephen Crane. Republished by OpenStories from Project Gutenberg eBook #40786.