Edgar Allan Poe: A Life

This magisterial critical biography from Kopley (Edgar Allan Poe and the Dupin Mysteries), an English professor emeritus at Penn State DuBois, traces the life of Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) from his childhood as the adopted son of a merchant in Richmond, Va., through his death, likely from excessive drinking, in Baltimore. Poe’s life was marked by the tension between his conviction in his own genius and his recurrent depression, Kopley argues, suggesting that though Poe shared the sense of “self supremacy” he ascribes to the eponymous protagonist of his autobiographical poem “Tamerlane,” his disappointment over failing to parlay his talents into a remunerative literary career contributed to his alcoholism and persistent “melancholy.” Kopley excels at elucidating how Poe’s life influenced his work, dissecting, for instance, how the writer grappled with his grief over the premature death of his brother, Henry, at age 24 by recasting himself and Henry as best friends and sailors in the novel The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket. Historical letters from Kopley’s personal collection shed new light on Poe’s overlooked capacity for conviviality, as when Kopley discusses a letter from the stepdaughter of Poe’s friend that describes how Poe would joyfully dance the fandango at Richmond social gatherings. Blending rich literary analysis with new insights into Poe’s character, this proves there’s still plenty left to say about the master of the macabre. Photos. (Mar.)