Halloween Countdown, Day 7

[eldritchhobbit]

On this day in 1849, Edgar Allan Poe died at the age of forty under mysterious circumstances.

For more information, read "Mysterious for Evermore" by Matthew Pearl, an article on Poe's death from The Telegraph. Pearl is the author of a fascinating novel about the subject, The Poe Shadow.


Closeup of Boston's Edgar Allan Poe statue. (Source.)

Six years ago, on the occasion of Poe's 200th birthday, 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 listen to the podcast here at the StarShipSofa website, or download it here, or access it via iTunes. If you listen, I hope you enjoy my celebration of Poe's life, works, and legacy!

The following are some of my favorite links about Edgar Allan Poe:
* PoeStories.com: An Exploration of Short Stories by Edgar Allan Poe
* The Poe Museum of Richmond
* The Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore

Free for adoption, here is my narration of Poe's "Mellonta Tauta." If you listen, I hope you enjoy!

And speaking of readings, here is one of my favorites: Gabriel Byrne reading Poe's "The Masque of the Red Death."

There were arabesque figures with unsuited limbs and appointments. There were delirious fancies such as the madman fashions. There was much of the beautiful, much of the wanton, much of the bizarre, something of the terrible, and not a little of that which might have excited disgust. To and fro in the seven chambers there stalked, in fact, a multitude of dreams.
- Edgar Allan Poe, "The Masque of the Red Death" (1842)

Comments

[internet-sampo.livejournal.com]

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

*flails*

Horror and delight... so close together... ;)

[gilda-elise.livejournal.com]

So many great Poe links! The article was interesting. I do wonder who it says more about, him or us, that it's his burial place that's more famous than where he was born.

And I may have to look into The Poe Shadow. The write up on Amazon is intriguing.

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

I do wonder who it says more about, him or us, that it's his burial place that's more famous than where he was born.

Excellent point.

I do recommend The Poe Shadow. It's been ages since I read it, but I've thought about it often. If you read it, I hope you enjoy it!

[acciochocolate.livejournal.com]

Thanks for all the links!

[eldritchhobbit.livejournal.com]

My pleasure! :)