Literature Network » Edgar Allan Poe

A talent for the dark side ; Peter Ackroyd's book on Edgar Allan Poe describes a man whose life was blighted by a feverish incapacity for happiness

Content courtesy of

From: Evening Standard - London
Date: 20080204
Author:EMMA CRICHTON-MILLER

Poe: A Life Cut Short by Peter Ackroyd (Chatto, Pounds 15.99)

PETER Ackroyd, masterful biographer of Ezra Pound, TS Eliot, Dickens, Blake and others, opens this sad story at its end. The last two weeks of the life of Edgar Allan Poe, America's most perverse genius, exemplify the muddle and mystery that characterised his life.

As friends saw him onto a steamboat in Richmond, Virginia, bound for Baltimore, on 27 September 1849, he had seemed in good spirits, planning a twoweek trip to New York on business. Yet he had no luggage besides the malacca sword-stick of his doctor which he had ...

Read the rest of this article with a Free Trial at HighBeam Research.

Other Articles on Edgar Allan Poe

About Our Articles: We've partnered with Highbeam Research to provide these article excerpts for your research needs. However, due to copyright laws, we cannot publish the whole article. To view these articles in full length you'll need to use the link above to access the free trial at Highbeam.