The Black Riders, and Other Lines

by Stephen Crane

"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."