"the imagination of man is no Carathis"

[eldritchhobbit]

Happy early birthday to shalna, with best wishes for many happy returns of the day!

Happy 200th Birthday, Edgar Allan Poe! Just in case you missed my previous post, I'll repeat: I'm hosting a 200th birthday party, and you're invited! I took over the StarShipSofa Audio Science Fiction Magazine to host an hour-long tribute to this pioneer of the short story, luminary of Gothic horror, father of detective fiction, and giant of science fiction. You can stream the podcast live at the StarShipSofa website, or download it here, or access it via iTunes. I hope you enjoy my celebration of Poe's life, works, and legacy!


In honor of the day, here are some of videos:

"Ever With Thee," A Song Based On A Poem By Virginia Clemm Poe To Her Husband:

Watch on YouTube

Marianne Faithfull Reads "Annabel Lee":

Christopher Walken Reads "The Raven":

"There are moments when, even to the sober eye of Reason, the world of our sad Humanity may assume the semblance of a Hell -- but the imagination of man is no Carathis, to explore with impunity its every cavern. Alas! the grim legion of sepulchral terrors cannot be regarded as altogether fanciful -- but, like the Demons in whose company Afrasiab made his voyage down the Oxus, they must sleep, or they will devour us -- they must be suffered to slumber, or we perish."
- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Premature Burial"

Comments

[ankh-hpl.livejournal.com]

Christopher Walken. Reading Poe. Could a Monday morning get any better????

Thanks for posting this!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

You said it! :) And you're most welcome.

[gbsteve.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed your podcast. It's a shame the BBC didn't get you to do their series on Poe* too. I've only listened to the first one but it was rather dreary, and not in a good way.


*Probably only available in the UK.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for listening to the podcast - and for your kind words! I'm so happy that you enjoyed it.

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

Boy, doesn't Christopher Walken just have the voice for it? I've associated him with the poem ever since the scene in "The Dead Zone," so to hear him recite it was extra special.

Thanks for the posts and Happy Birthday, Edgar Allen Poe!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

He really does have the perfect voice. It doesn't get better than that! I'm so glad you enjoyed it.

[cookiefleck.livejournal.com]

Very cool! I downloaded the tribute last week but haven't found time yet to listen to it... but I plan to enjoy it very soon.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for downloading the podcast. I hope that you enjoy it! Happy Poe-ing. :)

The Raven

[bartel-potter.livejournal.com]

More than 150 years after the death of Edgar Allan Poe, he is still considered one of the most important writers of all time. Not only did he write excellent short stories and poems, but Poe is also credited with being the father of the modern detective novel. His achievements in such a short life are indeed remarkable. 'The Raven (http://www.shmoop.com/the-raven/)', in particular, is very popular in poetry recitations. Reading aloud these well-composed lines that create an atmosphere of the dark and spooky can certainly give you goose pimples! Poe was a master in this. And that is precisely the reason for his popularity today. I recently read all of Poe’s poetry in honor of his 200 birth anniversary. Understanding Poe can be a little hard and so I went to Shmoop to get an in depth analysis. I’m sure the site will help you, too.