Edgar Allan Poe

In the history of literature there are few disparities greater than that between the life of Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) and his work. His life was pitiful, burdened with poverty, the deaths of his mother and his wife, petty quarrels with fellow authors, and wild drinking binges; his works, by contrast, are a triumph. Despite his disadvantages Poe managed to write some of the most intricate, highly-crafted stories in literary history, in the process anticipating many of the directions western thought would take in the century to come. Written in an approachable, jargon-free style, Edgar Allan Poe will appeal to all readers interested in biography, literary history, American culture, and modern thought.