  The notion that we live in an evolving universe was established only in the
twentieth century with the discovery of the recession of galaxies by Hubble and
with the Lemaitre and Friedmann's interpretation in the 1920s.
  However, the concept of an evolving universe is intrinsically tied to the law
of universal gravitation, and it is surprising that it remained unrecognized
for more than two centuries. A remarkable exception to this lack of awareness
is represented by Poe. In Eureka (1848), the writer developed a conception of
an evolving universe following the reasoning that a physical universe cannot be
static and nothing can stop stars or galaxies from collapsing on each other.
Unfortunately this literary work was, and still is, very little understood both
by the literary critics and scientists of the time. We will discuss Poe's
cosmological views in their historical scientific context, highlighting the
remarkable insights of the writer, such as those dealing with the Olbers
paradox, the existence of other galaxies and of a multi-universe.
