Recently, a discussion among colleagues about the most egregiously overused book review clichés brought up the word "haunted," as in, "the haunting prose of this novel" or "this poem left me feeling a haunting sense of remorse." I got to thinking about other uses of this word, in association with literature, such as "literary haunts"—places writers frequented when they were or weren't writing.

The New York Public Library branches themselves are, of course, examples of these. Luckily, many other historic literary sites remain standing in the boroughs of New York City. The following are some links to literary haunts, some are bars or hotels that were frequented by the likes of Dorothy Parker or Jack Kerouac, some are more unexpected. There are a few places online that offer walking tours of these locations.

Fodors.com, "10 of New York City's Most Storied Literary Haunts"

You May Be Wandering, "A Literary Tour of NYC"

The Australian, "The Literary Hothouse New York Hotels and Haunts of Great Writers"

The Edgar Allen Poe Residence on W 3rd street in Manhattan was dismantled in 2001, but a facade was created to reassemble how the house would have looked in 1845. Poe lived here and revised and published "The Raven" before moving to the Bronx with his wife and mother-in-law. The Raven and Poe's other works continue to inspire new works to this day, such as the Nevermore play, which will be performed at the New World Stages.

Poe House, located near Grand Concourse in the Bronx, was where Poe spent the last years of his life, from 1846 to 1849. Poe and his wife Virginia moved to the cottage in the Bronx, known then as Fordham Village, when Virginia fell ill with tuberculosis. The Edgar Allan Poe Cottage was moved from across the street and now sits in a recently renovated park.

The site in New York City where playwright Eugene O'Neill was born is now a cafe near Times Square, but the Eugene O'Neill theatre on W 49th carries on his name on their marquee. O'Neill, wrote a Time reviewer, could "seize a blasé Broadway crowd and wring it dry, half from fatigue, half from an emotional buffeting that no other American playwright ever inflicted on an audience. [He] could do what only a major artist can do: make his public share in the life of his private demons." (source: Contemporary Authors online database)

Find guidebooks to Literary Landmarks of NYC in the catalog.

Previously: Literary Landmarks in the Village: Goodnight Moon, Literary Landmarks in the Village: Where the Wild Things Are, Edgar Allan Poe in the Bronx