Poe, Edgar Allan
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Edgar Allan Poe Edgar Allan Poe
Daguerreotype, made on November 9, 1848 Birth name: Edgar Poe
Date of birth: January 19 1809(1809-01-19)[1][2]
Place of birth: Boston, United States of America[3]
Date of death: October 7 1849(1849-10-07)[1][2] (40 years)
Place of death: Baltimore, United States of America[3]
Citizenship: USA
Occupation: poet, writer, essayist, literary critic, playwright, journalist, science fiction writer, crime writer
Direction: romanticism, symbolism, Gothic literature
Genre: detective, science fiction, satire, hoax, horror literature
Language of works: English[4]
Debut: "Tamerlane and Other Poems" (1827)
Signature:
Works on the site Lib.ru Works in Wikitek Files on Wikimedia Commons Quotes in Wikicitatnik
Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809, Boston, USA — October 7, 1849, Baltimore, USA) was an American writer, poet, essayist, literary critic and editor, a representative of American Romanticism.
The creator of the form of the modern detective story[5][6][7] and the genre of psychological prose[8].
Some of Poe's works contributed to the formation and development of science fiction[9], and such features of his work as irrationality, mysticism, doom, and the anomaly of the depicted states anticipated the literature of decadence[10].
He is best known as the author of "scary" and mystical stories, as well as the poem "The Raven".
Poe was one of the first American writers to make the short story the main form of his work[9].
He tried to earn money exclusively by literary activity, as a result of which his life and career were fraught with severe financial difficulties[11], complicated by a problem with alcohol.
For twenty years of creative activity, Edgar Poe wrote two novellas, two poems, one play, about seventy short stories, fifty poems and ten essays, which were published in magazines and almanacs, and then collected in collections.
Despite the fact that during his lifetime Edgar Poe was known mainly as a literary critic, in the future his artistic works had a significant impact on world literature, as well as cosmology and cryptography.
He was one of the first American writers whose fame at home was significantly inferior to that of Europe[12].
Special attention was paid to his work by symbolists who drew ideas of their own aesthetics from his poetry.
Poe was highly appreciated by Jules Verne, Arthur Conan Doyle, Howard Phillips Lovecraft, recognizing his role as a pioneer in the genres that they popularized.
Content
1 Biography 1.1 Childhood 1.2 Studying at the University.
Literary debut 1.2.1 "Tamerlane and other poems"
1.3 Military career 1.3.1 "Al Aaraaf" and study at West Point
1.4 The beginning of literary activity 1.4.1 Work in the Southern Literary Messenger
1.5 New York and Philadelphia: 1837-1844 1.5.1 Editor of Graham's Magazine 1.5.2 Unfulfilled hopes
1.6 Peak of Glory 1.6.1 "Raven" 1.6.2 "Demon of contradiction"
1.7 Recent Years 1.7.1 Death of Virginia 1.7.2 Failed Marriage 1.7.3 Last Journey
2 Death and funeral 2.1 Circumstances and cause of death 2.2 "Memoirs" of Griswold 2.3 Secret admirer
3 Personality 3.1 Appearance and character 3.2 Worldview 3.3 Software and alcohol
4 Creativity 4.1 Analysis.
Features of style and subject 4.1.1 Poetry 4.1.2 Short stories 4.1.2.1 Psychological stories 4.1.2.2 Detective stories 4.1.2.3 Science fiction stories
4.2 Assessment of creativity and personality 4.2.1 In Russia
5 Heritage 5.1 Literature 5.2 Cosmology 5.3 Cryptography
6 Memory 6.1 Monuments 6.2 Museums and memorials 6.3 Philately 6.4 Numismatics
7 Edgar Poe in popular culture 7.1 The image of the writer 7.2 Film adaptations of works 7.3 Music
8 Notes 9 References 10 References
Biography[edit / edit wiki text]
Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe — Edgar Poe's mother
Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, the son of actors Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins Poe and David Poe Jr. Elizabeth Poe was born in the United Kingdom.
At the beginning of 1796, she and her mother, also an actress, moved to the United States, where she began performing on stage from an early age.
Poe's father was born in Ireland, in the family of David Poe Sr., who emigrated to America with his son.
Poe's grandfather had the rank of major, actively supported the revolutionary movement in the United States and was a direct participant in the War of Independence[13].
David Poe Jr. was supposed to become a lawyer, but against the will of his father, he chose the profession of an actor[13].
Edgar was the middle child in the family, he had an older brother, William Henry Leonard (English)Russian. (1807-1831)
and the younger sister Rosalie (1810-1874) [14].
The life of touring actors involved constant moving, which was difficult to implement with a child in his arms, so little Edgar was temporarily left with his grandfather in Baltimore.
He spent the first few months of his life there[15].
A year after Edgar's birth, his father left the family.
Nothing is known for certain about his future fate.
On December 8, 1811, Po's mother died of consumption[16].
The little boy, left without parental care, took a fancy to the wife of John Allan, a wealthy merchant from Richmond, and soon the childless family took him to themselves.
Rosalie's sister fell into the Mackenzie family, who were neighbors and friends of the Allans, while Henry's brother lived with his father's relatives in Baltimore[17].
Childhood[edit / edit wiki text]
Poe's foster family was one of the wealthiest and most respected in Richmond.
John Allan was a co owner of a company that traded tobacco, cotton and other goods.
The Allans had no children, so the boy was easily and happily accepted into the family.
Poe grew up in an atmosphere of prosperity, he was bought clothes, toys, books, a certified teacher at home was engaged with him[18].
Poe's School in Stoke Newington, England, 1860s
In 1815, the family (as well as Ann Valentine, the older sister of Frances, John Allan's wife) went to Great Britain.
John Allan, whose business was experiencing some difficulties associated with the decline of the economy after the Napoleonic Wars, sought to improve trade relations with Europe.
Arriving in Liverpool, the family went to live with Allan's relatives in Scotland, in the cities of Erwin and Kilmarnock.
A few weeks later, another move took place — to London, where Poe graduated from Madame Dubois Elementary School.
In 1817, he continued his studies at the school of the Reverend John Bransby in Stoke Newington, a suburb of the capital.
Poe's memories of this period of his life are reflected in the story "William Wilson"[19].
Edgar finished his last academic year ahead of schedule.
The reason for this was a hasty return trip to the United States — John Allan's affairs in England did not go well, serious financial difficulties occurred, his wife Frances was seriously ill.
The merchant even had to borrow money for the return trip from a partner.
In the summer of 1820, a sea transatlantic journey took place, and on August 2, the family arrived in Richmond[20].
The first year after returning to America was difficult for the Allans.
Their house was rented out for a long term lease, so they had to settle with a partner of John Allan Ch.
Ellis, who allowed them to live with him for free[21].
In the same year, Poe went to school, where he studied ancient literature and history, Latin, Greek and French, mathematics.
Attention was also paid to English literature, presented by Ben Johnson, Alexander Pope, John Milton and other authors.
During this period, Poe's interest in his native literature was born, and his first steps in poetry also belong to him[22].
The superintendent of the school, Joseph G. Clark, described his student as follows:
Poe stayed at my school for five years.
During this time, he read Ovid, Julius Caesar, Virgil, Cicero and Horace in Latin, Xenophon and Homer in Greek.
He clearly liked classical poetry more than classical prose.
He did not like mathematics, but he had no equal in poetic composition at school[23].
In 1824, the Marquis de Lafayette, the famous hero of the revolution and an associate of David Poe Sr., visited Richmond.
In the city, solemn events and a parade were organized for the arrival of the general, of which Edgar Poe was also a participant.
He was chosen as a lieutenant of a company of "Young Volunteers of Richmond", consisting of students from the best schools in the city[24].
It is known that de Lafayette visited the grave of Poe's grandfather in Baltimore, where he said: "Here lies a noble heart!"
(French Ici repose un coeur noble!) [25].
In early 1825, John Allan's uncle, one of the richest men in Virginia, died due to illness.
He had no direct heirs, there were many potential ones in the person of relatives, but they all lived in Scotland.
In his last will, he bequeathed most of his fortune to his Richmond nephew.
John Allan received $ 750,000[26][27] - a huge sum for those times, and the life of the family immediately changed.
The company's business went uphill, a luxurious mansion was bought, and Edgar was taken out of school and teachers were hired to prepare for university[28].
Studying at the university.
Literary debut[edit / edit wiki text]
The room where Poe lived during his studies at the University of Virginia
On February 14, 1826, Edgar Allan Poe left for Charlottesville, where he entered the newly opened University of Virginia[29].
Education at the institution founded by Thomas Jefferson was expensive (in a letter to his stepfather, Poe calculated the total costs and indicated the amount of $ 350 per year[30]), so the students of the university were children of wealthy families of the state.
Upon admission, Edgar Poe chose two courses to study (out of a possible three): classical philology (Latin and Greek) and modern languages (French, Italian, Spanish)[31].
The seventeen year old poet, who left his parents ' house, was left to himself for a long time for the first time[32].
The school day of Edgar Poe ended at 9: 30[33], the rest of the time was supposed to be devoted to reading educational literature and preparing homework, but the offspring of rich parents, brought up in the "true spirit" of gentlemanliness, could not resist the temptation of "forever fashionable" card games and wine in the highest environment.
Edgar Poe, who was educated in London and brought up in a respectable family, undoubtedly considered himself a gentleman.
The desire to confirm this status, and later the need for a living, led him to the card table.
At the same time, Poe began to drink for the first time[34].
By the end of the school year, the total debts of the Software amounted to $ 2,500 (about 2000 of them were card debts)[35][36].
After receiving letters demanding payment for them, John Allan immediately left for Charlottesville, where a stormy explanation with his stepson took place.
As a result, Allan paid only a tenth of the total amount (payment for books and services), refusing to recognize Edgar's gambling debts[36].
Despite the obvious success of his studies and successfully passed the exams, he could no longer stay at the university and after the end of the academic year, on December 21, 1826, he left Charlottesville[37].
"Tamerlane and other poems" [edit / edit wiki text]
Title page of the collection "Tamerlane and Other Poems "(1827)
When Poe returned home to Richmond, he had no idea about his future prospects.
Relations with John Allan were seriously damaged, he did not want to put up with a "negligent" stepson.
At this time, Po was intensively engaged in creative work.
Probably, it was in the house of Allans that many of the poems that were later included in the first collection of the novice poet were written.
Po also tried to find a job, but his stepfather not only did not contribute to this, but also as educational measures in every possible way prevented his employment[38].
In March 1827 ,the "silent" conflict turned into a serious quarrel, and Allan kicked his adopted son out of the house.
Poe settled in the Court House tavern, from where he wrote letters to Allan accusing him of injustice and excuses, continuing to clarify the relationship in an epistolary form.
Later, these letters are replaced by others with requests for money, which the foster father ignored.
After staying in the tavern room for several days, on March 23, Poe went to Norfolk, and then to Boston[39].
In his hometown, Edgar accidentally met a young publisher and printer Calvin Thomas, and he agreed to print his first collection of poems[40].
"Tamerlane and Other Poems", written under the pseudonym "Bostonian", was published in June 1827[41].
50 copies were printed, consisting of 40 pages, they were sold for 12.5 cents apiece[42].
In 2009, an unknown collector at an auction purchased one of the extant copies of the debut collection of Edgar Poe, paying for it a record amount for American literature — $ 662,500[43].
In his first poetry collection, Edgar Poe included the poem "Tamerlane" (which he would later repeatedly edit and refine), the poems " K ***", "Dreams"," Spirits of Death"," Evening Star"," Imitation"," Stanzas"," Dream"," The Happiest Day","Lake".
In the preface to the publication, the author apologized for the possible low quality of poetry, justifying this by the fact that most of the poems were written in 1820-1821, when he was "not yet fourteen".
Most likely, this is an exaggeration — Poe, of course, began writing early, but he really turned to poetry during his studies at the university and later[44][45].
As expected, the collection did not attract the attention of the reader and critics.
Only two publications wrote about its release, without giving it any critical assessment[46].
Military career[edit / edit wiki text]
On May 26, 1827, Edgar Allan Poe, in extreme need of money, signed an army contract for a period of five years and became a private in the First Artillery Regiment of the US Army[47].
In the documents, the eighteen year old Poe indicated an assumed name — "Edgar A. Perry" - and changed his age, "aging" himself by 4 years[48].
Initially, the regiment was stationed at Fort Independence, in the suburbs of Boston, but in November an order was received to relocate.
The place of service of the Po was Fort Moultrie (English)Russian.
on Sullivan's Island, located at the entrance to Charleston Bay, the same fort that 50 years ago turned out to be impregnable for the British army.
The nature of the island, where the writer spent a year, was later reflected in the story "The Golden Beetle" [49].
Fort Moultrie the place of service of Edgar Poe from November 1827 to December 1828
Edgar Poe served at the headquarters, was engaged in paperwork, which is not surprising for a person who was literate (a rather rare phenomenon for the army of that time) and had a neat handwriting.
And the "gentleman's" origin, good upbringing and diligence provided sympathy among the officers.
On January 1, 1829, Edgar A. Perry was awarded the rank of chief sergeant of the regiment[50] — the highest non officer rank.
In December 1828, the regiment was again transferred, this time to Fort Monroe.[51]
, located in the Hamptons, near Norfolk.
The soldier at the headquarters had enough time free from service, and Edgar Poe spent it on reading and writing.
He not only wrote new poems, but also refined the old ones, hatching a plan to publish the next, higher quality collection of material.
At the same time, the service began to weigh on Po, he realized that he was wasting time, and, having enlisted the support of a fellow officer, he decided to make an attempt to demobilize ahead of schedule.
Poe wrote several letters to his foster father, in which he expressed a desire to enter the West Point Academy[52], but John Allan did not respond to any of them[53].
At the end of February 1829, Frances Allan's condition worsened.
The disease, which made itself felt back in England, only progressed.
On the night of February 28, when his wife's condition became critical, John Allan wrote a short letter in which he asked his adopted son to come immediately[54].
Frances Allan died on the morning of the same day [50].
Poe was able to arrive in Richmond only on March 2, not even having time to attend the funeral of his adoptive mother, whom he loved very much[55].
After staying at home until the end of his dismissal, Poe turned to Allan again, and this time they reached an understanding.
After receiving the necessary documents from his adoptive father, Po returned to the army, where the process of releasing him from service immediately began.
The order was signed, and on April 15, 1829, he was dismissed from the army[56].
There is a legend that in his youth Edgar Poe visited the capital of Russia — St. Petersburg.
The author of it was himself.
In his autobiography, written in 1839, Poe claims that after studying for a year at the University of Virginia, he ran away from home to, like Byron, fight for the freedom of the Greeks:
"Before I got to Greece, I ended up in Russia, in St. Petersburg.
I managed to get out of the difficult situation I got into there thanks to the courtesy of Mr. Middleton, the American consul in St. Petersburg, and in 1829 I returned home..."
The story about the visit to Russia then appeared in an obituary published a day after the writer's death in the New York Tribune newspaper, from where it got into newspapers and magazines, including Russian ones.
It was only in the XX century that American biographers of the writer established with documentary accuracy that he had never been to Russia, and in the years described in the biography he served in the US army under the name of Edgar A. Perry.
The archive of Henry Middleton, stored in Moscow, also did not confirm the version about the writer's visit to Russia.
Among the numerous requests of Middleton to the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs for issuing passports to Americans who found themselves in St. Petersburg in the late 20s of the XIX century, Poe's name is not mentioned, unless, of course, it is assumed that he received a passport not under his own name[57].
"Al Aaraaf" and studying at West Point[edit / edit wiki text]
After returning from Washington, where he went to deliver the necessary papers and recommendations for admission to West Point, Edgar Poe went to Baltimore, where his relatives lived: his brother Henry Leonard, aunt Maria Klemm, her children Henry and Virginia, and Elizabeth Poe, the elderly widow of David Poe Sr. Not having enough money to rent his own home, the poet, with the permission of Maria Klemm, settled in their house[58].
The time spent waiting for a response from Washington was spent caring for a brother with consumption (who aggravated the disease with alcoholism) and preparing for the publication of a second poetry collection.
Po edited the available material, conducted an active correspondence with magazines and publishing houses.
And the efforts were not in vain — at the end of December 1829, the collection was published[59].
250 copies of "Al Aaraaf", "Tamerlane" and small poems " were printed by the Baltimore publishing house Hatch and Dunning[59].
In the center of the collection are two poems, the second of which was significantly revised and shortened by Edgar Poe.
"Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Small poems" did not receive a wide response, only some Baltimore publications wrote about its release, giving it a restrained assessment[60].
The decision of the military court over cadet Edgar Poe
On Christmas Eve, Poe returned home to Richmond, where in May 1830 he received confirmation of his enrollment at West Point.
In the same month, a fatal quarrel occurred between him and his foster father.
The reason for it was a letter that was not intended for John Allan and should not have been in his hands.
In it, Edgar Poe spoke unflatteringly about his guardian, unequivocally accusing him of drunkenness[61].
The hot tempered Allan could not stand it and for the second and last time kicked Edgar Poe out of the house.
They still corresponded after this breakup, but never saw each other again.
Soon John Allan married a second time [62].
At the end of June 1830, Poe became a cadet at the US Army Military Academy[63].
The training was not easy (especially the first 2 months of camp life), but the army experience helped the poet quickly get used to it.
Despite the strict daily routine and almost full daily employment, Edgar Poe found time for creativity.
Pamphlets and satirical parodies on the mentors of officers and life within the walls of the academy were particularly popular among the cadets.
The third collection of poems was being prepared for publication.
The training was successful, cadet Poe was in good standing and had no complaints from the officers, but in January he wrote a letter to John Allan, in which he asked for his assistance to leave West Point.
Probably, the reason for such a sharp decision was the news of the guardian's marriage, which deprived Edgar Poe of the most illusory chances of being officially adopted and inheriting something [64].
Without waiting for an answer, Poe decided to act on his own.
In January 1831, he began to ignore the checks and classes, did not go out on guard and sabotaged the formations.
The result was an arrest and a subsequent trial, at which he was accused of "gross violation of official duties" and "ignoring orders".
On February 8, 1831, Poe was dismissed from the service of the United States, and on February 18 he left West Point[65].
The beginning of literary activity[edit / edit wiki text]
Poe went to New York, where in April 1831 the poet's third book was published a collection of "Poems", which, in addition to the reprinted" Tamerlane "and" Al Aaraaf", included new works:" Israel"," Pan"," The Condemned City"," To Elena","Sleeping".
Also on the pages of the collection, Poe turned to literary theory for the first time, writing "A Letter to..." — an essay in which the author discussed the principles of poetry and the problems of national literature.
"Poems" contained a dedication to the "Cadet Corps of the US Army".
1000 copies of the book were printed at the expense of West Point cadets who subscribed to the collection in anticipation of the usual parodies and satirical poems with which they were once entertained by a classmate[66].
John F. Kennedy contributed to the development of Poe's career at its early stage.
Having no means of support, Poe moved to relatives in Baltimore, where he made futile attempts to find work.
Desperate lack of money prompted the poet to turn to prose — he decided to take part in a competition for the best short story by an American author with a prize of $ 100[67].
Poe took a thorough approach to the matter: he studied magazines and various publications of that time in order to determine the principles (stylistic, plot, compositional) of writing short prose that was popular with readers.
The results of the research were "Metzengerstein", "The Duc de L'omlet", "On the walls of Jerusalem", "A Significant loss" and " A Failed Deal — - stories that the novice novelist sent to the competition.
Disappointing results for their author were summed up on December 31, 1831 — Edgar Poe did not win[68].
During the next year, these stories without attribution (these were the conditions) were published in the newspaper that organized the competition.
The failure did not force Poe to abandon the form of short prose in his work.
On the contrary, he continued to hone his skills, writing short stories, from which at the end of 1832 he formed the collection "Folio Club Stories", which was never published[69].
In June 1833, another literary competition was held, the prizes in which were $ 50 for the best short story and $ 25 for the best poem.
It was known that the jury included competent people — famous writers of that time John Pendleton Kennedy and John Latrobe[70].
Poe participated in both categories, sending 6 short stories and a poem "The Colosseum"to the competition.
On October 12, the results were announced[71]: the best story was recognized as "The Manuscript found in a Bottle" by Edgar Poe, the best poem was" The Song of the Winds " by Henry Wilton (the editor in chief of the newspaper that organized the competition was hiding under this pseudonym[70]).
Subsequently, John Latrobe confirmed that the author of the really best poem was also Edgar Poe[72].
The jury spoke very highly of the works of the young writer, noting that it was extremely difficult for them to choose one of the best stories out of his six[73].
In fact, this was the first authoritative recognition of the talent of Edgar Poe[74].
Despite the victory in the competition, the financial situation of the Po in 1833-1835 remained extremely difficult.
There were no regular cash receipts, the writer continued unsuccessful attempts to find a job related to literature.
The only source of income in the family was the pension of the paralyzed widow of David Poe Sr. - $ 240 a year[75][76], which was paid irregularly.
On March 27, 1834, John Allan died, who did not mention Edgar Poe in his will[77].
Working in Southern Literary Messenger[edit / edit wiki text]
After winning the contest, Poe became close to John P. Kennedy, who became his friend and literary patron.
Kennedy not only helped the writer with money during difficult periods, but also tried in every possible way to attract the attention of publishers and periodicals to the new talent of American literature[78].
In August 1834, the Richmond typographer Thomas White began publishing a new monthly magazine, the Southern Literary Messenger, for cooperation with which he attracted famous writers of that time, including John Kennedy.
He, in turn, recommended Edgar Poe to White as a promising talented writer, marking the beginning of their collaboration[79].
Already in March 1835, the story "Berenice" appeared on the pages of the monthly, and in June the first hoax of Poe's pen was published — "The Extraordinary Adventure of a certain Hans Pfaal"[80].
In the following months, an active correspondence began between White and the writer, in which they discussed not only the publication of the author's works, but also the problems of the magazine: how to attract more subscribers, which categories and sections should be opened.
Soon the head of the publication suggested that Edgar Poe move to Richmond and take the vacant chair of his assistant.
On July 7, 1834, the writer's grandmother died, in fact the only breadwinner in the family, so White's proposal turned out to be very useful, and Poe went to Richmond[81].
Portrait of Edgar Poe in the anthology Southern Literary Messenger
At first, as an assistant editor, Edgar Poe successfully coped with his tasks and responsibilities: he edited and proofread texts, was engaged in the selection of material for publications, conducted extensive correspondence with authors.
His salary was $ 15 a week[82].
White had no reason to be dissatisfied with the new employee, but a sudden attack of deep depression and a heavy binge that followed led to inevitable consequences — Edgar Poe was fired.
In a state of clouded consciousness, he wrote a long emotional letter to Maria Klemm, in which he asked for the hand of her daughter Virginia, fearing to lose her forever[83].
In complete despair, he turned for support to his patron John F. Kennedy, who was concerned about his condition and tried to find the words necessary for inspiration.
Soon the disease, which had been tormenting For several months in fits, receded.
In September, he returned to Baltimore, where he was engaged to Virginia Klemm and a marriage license was issued, allowing the marriage[84].
Having regained his mental balance, Edgar Poe made an attempt to return to the Southern Literary Messenger.
Thomas White met him halfway and agreed to hire him again on the condition that he would stop drinking.
During this period, on the pages of the magazine, Edgar Poe turned to literary criticism, not unreasonably believing that he had the necessary competence.
Poe the critic had no authority; in his articles he uncompromisingly, but argumentatively criticized those works in which he found shortcomings.
Their authors also got it: Theodore S. Fay, W. G. Longfellow, C. F. Hoffman became the victims of his crushing reviews at the time.
According to the poet James Russell Lowell, Poe was "perhaps the only fearless American critic"[85].
Poe made many enemies in literary circles, but at the same time the popularity of the magazine grew: new subscribers appeared, people talked about the publication[86].
On May 16, 1836, Poe married Virginia Klemm[87].
She was his cousin, and at the time of the wedding she was only 13 years old.
The couple spent their honeymoon in Petersburg, Virginia.
Around this time, Edgar Poe began writing his largest prose text — "The Tale of the Adventures of Arthur Gordon Pym".
The decision to write a voluminous work was dictated by readers ' preferences: many publishers refused to print his stories, citing the fact that the small prose format is not popular[88].
Nothing foreshadowed trouble, however, at the end of December, Poe again left the Southern Literary Messenger[89].
The reason for the quarrel between White and Poe remained unclear, it could be a broken promise, the publisher's dissatisfaction with his excessive independence as an editor, sharp criticism of high profile literary names.
Anyway, at the beginning of 1837, Poe left Richmond and went to New York with his wife and mother in law[90].
New York and Philadelphia: 1837-1844[edit / edit wiki text]
In May 1837, an economic crisis broke out in the United States.
He also touched on the sphere of publishing: newspapers and magazines were closed, there were mass layoffs of employees.
Edgar Poe, who was left without a job for a long time, also found himself in a difficult situation.
But the forced idleness was not in vain — he was finally able to concentrate on creativity.
In the New York period, the stories "Ligeia", "The Devil in the Bell Tower", "The Fall of the House of Usher", "William Wilson" were published from the pen of the writer, work on "Arthur Gordon Pym"continued.
The rights to the story were sold to the authoritative New York publishing house Harper and Brothers, where it was published on July 30, 1838.
However, the first voluminous prose work of Poe did not have commercial success[91].
The cover of the" First book of the conchologist", the authorship of which Po denied [92]
Poe and his family moved to Philadelphia in the middle of the summer of 1838[93].
There, with the help of his old friend, he managed to formalize a cooperation with the newly created monthly American Museum.
During the year, works on: short stories, poems, criticism, reviews of new books appeared in it.
It was a meager, but the only source of income for the writer.
The newly published "Novella"was not sold either.
Desperate lack of money forced the writer to take up the work, which resulted in the most commercially successful book of the writer, ironically, not an artistic one: Edgar Poe was offered to write a book about conchology — the science of shells, relying on the sources provided and the advice of a customer — a specialist in this field.
He successfully completed the task and earned $ 50[94].
In the future, this book (with the name of Edgar Poe on the cover) was reprinted many times, and the author was accused of plagiarism, for which he had to justify himself a long time later.
Later, he stated that he wrote only the preface, introduction and translated the illustrations, and his name was added to improve the salesability of the reference book[92].
The American Museum did not last long, and Poe could again find himself in an already difficult situation, but in May 1839 he managed to get a job as an editor at Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, with a salary of $ 10 a week[95].
The relationship between Poe and the magazine's owner, William Burton, was bad, which, in addition to personal conflicts, was due to their different views on the publication's policy[96].
In the summer, a publishing house was found that agreed to print a collection of short stories "Grotesques and Arabesques", on which Poe had been working recently.
Having improved the financial situation, the writer's family moved to more comfortable and spacious housing[97].
In early December 1839, the publishing house Lea & Blanchard published "Grotesques and Arabesques" — a two volume collection of 25 short stories written by Poe at that time[98].
This event did not go unnoticed in literary circles: dozens of publications across the country not only covered the publication of the collection, but also devoted full fledged reviews to it.
This was Poe's first wide recognition as a writer.
Despite the fact that "Grotesques and Arabesques" received mostly positive reviews, the book sold poorly[95].
In the summer of 1840, due to aggravated disagreements with the owner, he left Burton's Gentleman's Magazine, which was sold at the end of the year to the publisher George Graham[99].
Editor of Graham's Magazine[edit / edit wiki text]
Edgar Poe, who knew the whole" kitchen " of publishing from the inside, worked as an editor in several magazines, saw all their shortcomings.
He also lacked the freedom of action, which was limited by the policy of the leadership.
In June 1840, he began to develop the idea of his own magazine, starting to search for authors, correspondents, printers and potential subscribers.
Soon the first prospectus of the future publication was published, to which Edgar Poe gave the name The Penn.
The original release date was January 1, 1841.
Later, the release was postponed to March, but even then it did not happen[100].
Illustration for the story "Oval Portrait", written under the shock of his wife's serious illness
Who bought Burton's magazine, George Graham (English)Russian.
he was a young businessman.
Shortly after the acquisition, he merged his small magazine and Burton's Gentleman's Magazine into a new publication — Graham's Magazine (English)Russian, where Edgar Poe took the position of editor.
In addition to performing the standard duties for this position, he had to publish one story in the magazine every month.
Graham also expressed a desire to help Po with the release of The Penn and even become its co owner[101].
In April 1841, a story was published in Graham's Magazine, which later brought worldwide fame to the founder of the detective genre[5][6][7] — "Murder in the Rue Morgue."
There, in May, "The Overthrow to the Maelstrom"was published.
During the period of Edgar Poe's work as editor, Graham's Magazine reached a national level: by the middle of 1842, it had 40,000 subscribers (with an initial 3,500) [102][103], while the prospects of The Penn were becoming increasingly dim.
The period of cooperation with George Graham was the most financially successful for Po and one of the most fruitful in creative terms[101].
In January 1842, the young wife of Edgar Poe had the first severe attack of tuberculosis, accompanied by throat bleeding[104].
Virginia was bedridden for a long time, and the writer again lost his mental balance and the ability to work.
The depressed state was accompanied by frequent and prolonged binge drinking[105].
During the "periods of terrible enlightenment", when Poe managed to pull himself together, he continued to perform official duties in the magazine and even published a story "In death — Life", in which the influence of Virginia's illness on his condition is clearly traced.
Later, the story was republished under the title "Oval Portrait".
For a long time, Graham could not tolerate the frequent drunkenness of his editor, his absence from the workplace and non fulfillment of duties.
In May 1842, Poe left Graham's Magazine, and Rufus Griswold took his place[106].
The last story published in an issue of Graham's magazine, in which Edgar Poe was involved, was "The Mask of the Red Death" (May 1842)[107].
All the subsequent time, the condition of Poe's wife had a huge impact on his mental health, which was extremely susceptible to the slightest deterioration of the situation.
A second exacerbation of Virginia's illness occurred in the summer of the same year, and again the writer's deep feelings and mental torments were reflected in his work — the stories "The Well and the Pendulum" and "The Accuser's Heart"written shortly after the incident are saturated with them.
Poe found salvation in writing.
In November 1842, the history of Auguste Dupin's investigations was continued.
In Snowden's Ladies ' magazine Companion published the story "The Mystery of Marie Roger", which was based on a real murder that occurred in New York in 1841.
Using all the materials available to the investigation, he conducted his own investigation on the pages of the story (moving the action to Paris and changing the names) and pointed out the killer.
Soon after, the case was solved, while the correctness of the writer's conclusions was confirmed[108].
It is worth noting that during the difficult period of 1842, Edgar Poe managed to personally meet with Charles Dickens, whose work he appreciated very highly[109].
They discussed near literary issues and exchanged views during the latter's short visit to Philadelphia.
Dickens promised to help with the publication of Poe's works in England.
Despite the fact that nothing came of it, Dickens noted that Poe was "the only writer whom he wanted to help with publication"[109].
Unfulfilled hopes[edit / edit wiki text]
Finding himself without a job, and therefore without means of livelihood, Edgar Poe, through a mutual friend, turned to the son of President Tyler with a request to help him get a job in the Philadelphia customs[110].
The need was great, since the writer began to look for a job other than literary, which brought an unstable income.
Po did not get the position, as he did not show up for the meeting, explaining it with his illness, although there is a version that the reason for the non appearance was a binge[111].
The family, who found themselves in a difficult situation, had to change their place of residence several times, as there was not enough money catastrophically, debts were growing.
A case was initiated against the writer, and on January 13, 1843, the Philadelphia District Court declared Poe bankrupt, but a prison term was avoided [112].
The project of the title page of The Stylus magazine
In January 1843, Poe found a partner who agreed to help with the publication of his magazine.
It was the head of the weekly Saturday Museum, Thomas Clark.
The name of the future edition was changed to The Stylus[113].
Clark took over the financial side of the project, Po was engaged in preparing the prospectus and searching for subscribers.
Especially for the first issue of the magazine, Poe wrote the story "The Golden Beetle", from which he expected a huge effect on readers.
Within a month, the news about the release of The Stylus was printed by dozens of publications across the country, it seemed that Poe's dream of his own "ideal" magazine was about to come true, but he again became a hostage to the painful addiction that pursued him and began to drink.
Poe's reputation as an unreliable person suffering from drunkenness also reached Clark.
However, their agreement still remained in force until May 1843, when Clark announced in the pages of his magazine his refusal to participate in the enterprise of Edgar Poe for "economic reasons"[113].
Despite the difficult financial situation and the decline in spirit associated with his wife's illness, Poe's literary fame steadily grew.
His works were published in many publications throughout the country, critical reviews were devoted to them, many of which noted the author's extraordinary talent and the power of his imagination.
Even literary enemies wrote laudatory reviews, making them even more valuable[114].
Having devoted himself to prose, For three years turned to poetry (the last published poem was published in 1840 "Silence").
"Poetic silence" was broken in 1843, with the output of one of the darkest poems of the writer — "the Worm is the winner", which seemed to have focused all anguish and despair in recent years, the collapse of hopes and illusions[115].
In February 1843, the famous "Linor"was published in the New York edition of The Pioneer[116].
Poe returned to poetry, but the main form of his work continued to be short prose.
The last years spent in Philadelphia were marked by the release of works, many of which are among the best in the author's creative heritage: "The Black Cat" (August 1843), "Glasses" (March 1844), "The Tale of Steep Mountains" (April 1844), "Premature Burial" (July 1844), "Mesmeric Revelation" (August 1844), "Angel of the Inexplicable" (October 1844) and other stories were published.
In July 1844, the New York newspaper Dollar Newspaper organized a competition for the best short story, for the first place in which a prize was awarded - $ 100[117].
The winner was the "Golden Beetle" by Edgar Poe.
The work, in which the author revealed his talent as a cryptographer, became the property of Dollar Newspaper and was subsequently reprinted many times[118].
Peak of glory[edit / edit wiki text]
Watercolor portrait of Edgar Poe, 1843-1844
On April 6, 1844, Edgar and Virginia Poe moved to New York[119].
A month later, Maria Klemm joined them.
It is difficult to overestimate the role of the mother in law in the life of Edgar Poe.
Her economy, hard work and endless care, with which she surrounded her son in law and daughter, was noted by many contemporaries who knew the family personally.
Edgar loved his "Muddy" (probably an abbreviation of "mummy" ("mommy") and"daddy" ("daddy")), as he often called her in letters, because with the appearance in his life, she really became like a mother to him.
In 1849, he dedicated to her a poem full of tenderness and gratitude, "My mother".
A week after moving, Edgar Poe becomes the hero of a sensation: a huge stir in reading circles was caused by the "Balloon Story", which was published by the New York Sun newspaper in a special issue.
Originally conceived as a hoax, the story was stylized as a news article.
The idea of the plot was unconsciously suggested by the well known at that time balloonist John Wise (English)Russian, who in one of the Philadelphia newspapers said that he was going to make a transatlantic flight.
The writer managed to achieve the desired effect — the next morning after the publication, the publishing house building was literally "stormed" by people[120].
Poe's hoaxes, in which much attention was paid to details based on technical innovations of that time, gave an impetus to the subsequent development of the science fiction genre in literature.
Some time after the reunion with Maria Klemm, the family moved to new housing: the Brennan family rented them part of their mansion located outside the city[121].
Poe continued to collaborate with many publications, offering them his articles and critical reviews.
During this period, he had no problems with publications, but his income still remained modest.
In the Brennan mansion, Poe wrote a poem "The Land of Dreams", which reflected the beauty of the surrounding nature[122].
There, work began on the work that became the writer's poetic magnum opus the poem "The Raven".
"The Raven"[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: The Raven (poem)
"He flew up on the bust of Pallas, which was mine above the door."
Gustave Dore's illustration for "The Raven", 1884
It is not known whether Poe wrote "The Crow" in order to get a final and unconditional recognition, inspired by the success of "The Golden Beetle" and "The Balloon Story", but there is no doubt that he scrupulously and carefully approached the process of creating this work.
The writer described this process in detail in the essay "The Philosophy of Creativity (English)Russian", which was published in the wake of the success of"The Raven".
Poe noted that the poem was an experiment on the way to a work that will be appreciated by both critics and the general public, accessible to both sophisticated writers and ordinary readers[123].
There is no answer to the question of how long Po wrote "The Crow".
Researchers make various assumptions: from one week to several years.
With a certain degree of confidence, we can only say that the first mention of the "Raven" in Poe's personal correspondence dates back to 1844[124].
After finishing the manuscript, Poe went to Philadelphia, where he offered it to George Graham.
The former employer refused to purchase the poem, but as a kind gesture, he paid $ 15 each[125].
Only on the second attempt, George Hooker Colton bought The Raven with the intention of publishing it in the second (February) issue of his magazine American Review.
The poem was published under the pseudonym "Quarles", which was probably a reference to the English poet of the XVII century, Francis Quarles[126].
By hiding his name, Poe most likely wanted to warm up interest in the poem and achieve an even greater effect on the reader in case of success of "The Raven" and at the same time protect himself in case of failure[127].
However, the premiere of the poem took place earlier and not in the American Review: with Colton's permission, as a" preliminary reprint "(a common phenomenon at that time), "The Raven" was published in the weekly Evening Mirror on January 29, 1845[128].
It was an immediate and resounding success: publications all over the country reprinted the poem, it was talked about in literary circles and beyond, numerous parodies were written on it[129].
Poe became a well known personality on a national scale and a frequent guest at social events, where he was asked to read a famous poem.
According to the biographer of the writer Arthur Quinn, "The Raven made an impression that perhaps no other poetic work in American literature could surpass"[130].
Despite the huge success with readers and wide public recognition, the poem practically did not improve the financial situation of the writer[131].
On February 21, 1845, Poe became a co owner of the Broadway Journal, the head of which believed to increase the sales of the publication by attracting a new celebrity to cooperate.
According to the terms of the contract, Po received a third of the magazine's sales, the cooperation promised to be mutually beneficial[132].
At the same time, Po took up lecturing activities, which will become an important source of income for him.
The first topic of performances in New York and Philadelphia was "Poets and Poetry of America"[133].
"The demon of contradiction"[edit / edit wiki text]
In July 1845, Poe published a short story called "The Demon of Contradiction" [134].
The arguments on the topic of human nature, which are contained in its preamble, allow us to understand well the nature of the contradictory nature of the author himself.
Tormented by his own "demon", he repeatedly committed rash and illogical actions during his life, which inevitably led him to collapse.
So it happened at the peak of his fame, when, it seemed, nothing foreshadowed trouble.
On the pages of the magazine, of which he became a co owner, Edgar Poe did not publish any of his new works, only reprinted the old ones (which were edited and refined each time)[135].
The lion's share of his work at that time was literary articles, reviews, criticism.
It is not known what caused this, but Poe became more ruthless in his criticism than ever: he got not only the authors who were personally unpleasant to him, with whom he clashed, but also those who treated him favorably.
As a result, within a short period of time, subscribers began to abandon the Broadway Journal and authors turned away, the publication became unprofitable.
Soon both of Poe's partners left him, leaving him the sole owner of the magazine in distress[136].
Po desperately tried to save it, sending out many letters to his friends and relatives with requests for financial assistance.
Most of them were not satisfied, and the money that he still received was not enough.
On January 3, 1846, the last issue was published, and Poe closed the Broadway Journal[137].
In April 1846, Poe started drinking again[138].
Realizing the destructive role that alcohol played in his life, he still took a fatal step.
The time of clouded consciousness came again: lectures were disrupted, public conflicts arose, and reputation seriously suffered.
The situation became even more complicated with the publication in May 1846 of the first essays by Edgar Poe from the series "Writers of New York".
In them, Poe gave personal and creative characteristics of famous authors — his contemporaries, which for the most part was extremely negative.
The reaction followed immediately: the newspapers, at the suggestion of the" victims", began a war against Po — they blackened his reputation, accusing him of immorality and godlessness.
The image of Poe as a deranged alcoholic who did not control his actions prevailed in the press.
They also recalled his literary affair with the poet Frances Osgood, which ended in a scandal[139].
Among those who were hurt by the criticism of the Software, Thomas English (English)Russian especially distinguished himself..
In the past, a friend of the writer, he published in one of the newspapers "An Answer to Mr. Po", in which he added an accusation of forgery to the image of a poor godless alcoholic[140].
The publication, with which Po collaborated, advised to go to court, which he did.
On February 17, 1846, Poe won a libel case against the Mirror magazine, which published the "Answer", and received $ 225 in compensation[139].
Recent years[edit / edit wiki text]
In May 1846, Poe moved to a small cottage in Fordham, a suburb of New York[141].
The family was in poverty again, there was desperately not enough money — in the summer and autumn Po did not write anything.
In one of the letters, he refers to his illness — literary "wars" and scandals did not pass without a trace.
The condition of the bedridden Virginia only worsened.
The Death of Virginia[edit / edit wiki text]
A watercolor portrait of Virginia Poe, painted after her death
Here is how the poet Mary Gove recalled her visit to the Poe house:
Autumn has come.
Mrs. Poe was rapidly fading from tuberculosis.
I saw her in the bedroom.
Everything around her was clean and immaculate, and so meagre and beggarly miserable that the sight of the poor sufferer caused me a painful pity — such as only the poor can feel for the poor <...
> The weather was cold, the patient was shaken by chills, which usually accompanies consumption.
She was lying on a straw mat, wrapped in her husband's coat, and a huge colorful cat was lying on her chest.
The wonderful creature, apparently, understood that it was of great benefit.
The coat and the cat were the only things that warmed the poor sufferer, except that her husband warmed her hands, and her mother warmed her feet.
- Mary Gove Nichols.
"Memories of Edgar Poe"[142]
Mary Gove, imbued with the family's misfortune, turned to Mary Louise Shew — a woman who was engaged in charity and helped people in need.
From the end of November to December 1846, she was a frequent guest at the Poe house, caring for the patient, raising funds and hiring a doctor, alleviating Virginia's suffering[143].
Edgar Poe, struck by the generosity and unselfishness of Mrs. Shew, dedicated several poems to her, one of which is called "To M. L. S.".
Virginia's condition seriously worsened in January 1847: fever and pain increased, hemoptysis became more frequent.
On January 29, Poe wrote a desperate letter to Mary Shew, in which he asked her to come and say goodbye to Virginia, who had become so attached to her[144].
Mrs. Shew arrived the next day and managed to find her alive[145].
On January 30, 1847, late at night, Virginia Poe died.
After the funeral of his wife, Edgar Poe himself found himself bedridden — the loss was too heavy for a delicate experiencing nature.
It was another serious mental breakdown that had repeatedly happened to the writer before.
Mary Louise Shew did not leave Edgar Poe in trouble either: she took care of him until he finally recovered.
During this time, they became very close, Poe repeatedly visited Mrs. Shew at her home.
According to some sources, it was she who suggested the idea of the poem "Bells"[146].
For the previous year, 1846, Edgar Poe published a collection of essays "Marginalia", the stories "The Sphinx" and "The Barrel of Amontillado" (a literary response to Thomas English).
After a forced break, he returned to literary activity, which was no longer as active as before.
In 1847, only four new publications took place: one review, one article, the poem "To M. L. Sh." and the ballad "Ulylum".
The last work was published anonymously in the American Review[147].
Poe tried to achieve the same effect that the publication of "The Raven" caused, but, unfortunately, the public did not understand the complex and imaginative poetics that the author demonstrated.
They talked about" Ulyum", but the success of" Raven " could not be repeated.
The central work of the last years of Poe's life was "Eureka".
"A prose poem" (as Poe defined it), which spoke about "physical, metaphysical, mathematical" subjects, according to the author, was supposed to turn people's ideas about the nature of the universe[⇨].
He started working on "Eureka" as soon as he recovered from the death of Virginia.
At the beginning of 1848, Poe began lecturing again.
"On the origin of the Universe" - this was its theme.
Unfortunately, the lectures were not very popular, probably the topic turned out to be too difficult for perception, so during the lecture tour we had to turn to a more popular topic — poets and poetry.
"Eureka" was published in June 1848.
This was the last new book published during the writer's lifetime[148].
Failed marriage[edit / edit wiki text]
In January 1848, Poe returned to the idea of publishing his own magazine and began to prepare for its release with renewed vigor.
The same prospectus as before was taken as a basis, the same ideas were outlined in it, and the name — The Stylus remained the same.
In the first issues, he was going to include his articles "Literary America", on which he had been working for the last two years.
Poe intended to recruit subscribers during his lecture tour, which began in July.
Abandoning the topic revealed in "Eureka", he returned to the usual listeners of"Poets and Poetry of America".
In general, a very successful tour was interrupted in Richmond, where, according to eyewitnesses, Poe turned to alcohol again[149].
He was often seen drunk, wandering the streets of the city, the writer's plans were again put in jeopardy.
But Poe managed to pull himself together, and soon he returned to Fordham.
Portrait of Sarah Helen Whitman, 1865
Edgar Poe had been acquainted with Sarah Helen Whitman in absentia since 1845, when everyone in literary circles quoted "The Raven".
The poetic novel, which began with an anonymous valentine written by Mrs. Whitman, broke out in the spring of 1848.
They exchanged letters until the fall of the same year, until the long awaited personal meeting took place in Providence in September[150].
They spent several days together, a confession of feelings took place, which Whitman graciously accepted[150].
During the next meeting, which took place on September 23, Poe proposed to her[151].
Whitman hesitated — she had heard from her own friends about his "unreliability" and addiction to alcohol.
Despite this, the correspondence continued, and in December the marriage proposal was accepted, with the condition that Po would stop drinking[152].
On December 22, the necessary documents were signed at the Whitman house, and the engagement took place[153].
However, a few days before the appointed wedding day, Sarah Whitman received an anonymous letter in which she was warned against marrying Poe, citing the fact that he was seen in a state of intoxication[154].
The explanation took place immediately, and the wedding was canceled.
Over the past few years, the creative activity of Edgar Poe has noticeably decreased.
Very few new works of art were written (especially compared to the "best" years).
Po decided to change the situation for the better and took up the pen more actively.
During the first half of 1849, he wrote the stories "Jump Jump", "How one Note was typed", "Landor's House", the poems "El Dorado", "To Annie", the sonnet "To Mother".
In June, the famous "Annabel Lee" was completed, the publication of which the author has not seen.
Of course, he hoped to improve his financial situation through these works, but the "gold rush" that began in 1849 in America disrupted his plans.
People massively otpr they were sent to California, many publications were closed or stopped paying royalties.
Once again finding himself in desperate lack of money, Po turns to the only source of income available to him — lectures.
The last Journey[edit / edit wiki text]
Portrait of Edgar Poe, painted according to a daguerreotype made 3 weeks before the writer's death
In April 1849, Poe received a letter from a wealthy admirer from Kentucky named Edward Patterson, who suggested that he establish a nationwide magazine[155].
He took over the entire financial side of the project, and completely entrusted the literary side into the hands of the writer.
Poe responded to the offer with great enthusiasm, and a correspondence followed, during which the parties agreed to meet in St. Louis to discuss their immediate plans, and then go to New York together.
Poe went on the road: on a small lecture tour and to meet a future companion.
On June 29, Poe left Fordham and headed for Richmond.
The intermediate point was Philadelphia, the city where Po got drunk on arrival[156].
He also lost his valise with lectures and all the money for the road that he had.
After spending some time in Philadelphia, Poe, with the help of friends, still got to Richmond.
The writer managed to cope with a difficult situation, and he stopped drinking, restored lectures and began to successfully perform with his literary work — "The Poetic Principle".
In Richmond, Poe resumed acquaintance with his childhood sweetheart Sarah Elmira Royster (who had the surname Shelton after marriage) and began to persistently take care of her, which eventually resulted in a marriage proposal[157].
By that time, Elmira was a widow with a decent fortune inherited from her deceased husband.
As always, the only obstacle to marriage was Poe's addiction to alcohol.
He settled the issue by joining the ranks of the sobriety society "Sons of Moderation" and taking an oath to abstain from alcohol[158].
The wedding was scheduled for October 17.
At this time, Poe cooled down to Patterson's proposal, probably realizing that after the wedding he would become the owner of a large fortune and would be able to launch the magazine on his own.
The meeting with the future partner was postponed, but after a while Po stopped responding to his letters at all.
After finishing his lectures in Richmond, Poe packed up for the road.
It was necessary to complete the business in Philadelphia and New York, to prepare for the wedding.
On September 27, 1849, Poe left Richmond and took a steamer to Baltimore[159].
According to his own plan, he had to go from Baltimore by train to Philadelphia, and then, also by train, to New York.
Death and burial[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: The Death of Edgar Allan Poe
On the evening of October 3, 1849, in Baltimore, Dr. Joseph Snodgrass, the owner of one of the local newspapers and an old friend of Poe, received the following note [160]:
Dear Sir,
Near the polling station of the 4th district, in Ryan's Tavern, there is a rather shabby gentleman known as Edgar A. Poe, and he seems to be in an extremely distressed situation, and he says that he knows you, and I assure you that he needs immediate help.
I'm writing in a hurry.
sincerely yours,
J. W. Walker
The original text (English)
Dear Sir, —
There is a gentleman, rather the worse for wear, at Ryan's 4th ward polls, who goes under the cognomen of Edgar A. Poe, and who appears in great distress, & he says he is acquainted with you, and I assure you, he is in need of immediate assistance.
Yours, in haste,
Jos.
W. Walker
Monument at the grave of Edgar Poe in Baltimore
Snodgrass, who knew the writer well, went for him immediately.
The polling station was located directly in the tavern[161] (which was quite common for that time), where Po was discovered.
He was in a severe semi fainting state, could not move independently and speak coherently.
He was wearing dirty and shabby clothes that did not belong to him.
Snodgrass transported Poe to the nearby Washington College Hospital around five o'clock in the evening[162] of the same day.
The writer ended up in the care of Dr. John Moran.
Until three in the morning of the next day, Edgar Poe was in an insensible (close to comatose) state, then he began to convulse and delirium.
At the time of the improvement of his condition, which began on October 5, Poe told Dr. Moran that he had a wife in Richmond, but he could not remember what happened to him, where his things went and how he ended up in Baltimore.
The writer's condition worsened again on the evening of Saturday, October 6.
He went on a rampage and began continuously calling for a certain "Reynolds".
At five o'clock in the morning[163][164] On October 7, 1849, Poe died.
According to Dr. Moran, just before his death, he uttered his last words:
Lord, help my poor soul [165][163].
The original text (English)
Lord, help my poor soul.
The modest funeral of Edgar Allan Poe took place at 4 pm on October 8, 1849[166] at the Westminster Hall and Burying Ground Cemetery, which is now part of the territory of the University of Maryland College of Law.
The ceremony, which was attended by only a few people, was led by the Reverend W. T. D. Klemm, Virginia Poe's uncle.
It lasted only three minutes due to the cold and dank weather[167].
The Psalmist George W. Spence wrote: "It was a gloomy and overcast day, there was no rain, but it was wet, and a thunderstorm was coming"[168].
Poe was buried in the far corner of the cemetery, next to the grave of his grandfather, David Poe Sr., in a cheap coffin, without handles, a name plate, a blanket and a pillow under his head[166].
On October 1, 1875, the remains of Edgar Poe were reburied in a new place, not far from the facade of the church.
The new monument was made and erected at the expense of residents of Baltimore and fans of the writer from other US cities.
The total cost of the monument was a little more than $ 1,500.
The festive service was held on November 17, 1875.
On the 76th anniversary of the birth of Edgar Poe, on January 19, 1885, the remains of Virginia Poe were reburied next to the remains of her husband[169].
Circumstances and cause of death[edit / edit wiki text]
The circumstances preceding the death of Edgar Poe, as well as its immediate cause, remain unclear to this day.
All medical records and documents, including the death certificate, if they existed at all, were lost [170].
There are several different theories about the cause of Po's death, varying degrees of plausibility: from hypoglycemia to conspiracy to murder.
One of the main versions was popularized by Dr. Joseph Snodgrass, who strongly argued that the cause of Poe's death was alcohol.
Even in his memoirs, he wrote that he discovered Poe in a "state of brutal intoxication", and used his own theory to spread sobriety in the society in which he was a member.
That is why the reliability of Snodgrass ' theory has been questioned[171].
In 1885, Dr. Moran, in his series of lectures "in defense of Poe", disputed the position of Snodgrass and claimed that he did not die under the influence of any intoxication.
Moran claimed that"there was not the slightest smell of alcohol coming from Poe" [171].
However, Moran's words are not entirely trustworthy either.
And yet, the bouts of alcoholism, when they occurred, were not so deep and prolonged in order to provoke cirrhosis of the liver[171].
Poe's image of an alcoholic was mainly supported by his literary enemies (among whom Rufus Griswold especially stood out) and is, at least, controversial[172][⇨].
Among a large number of other causes of death in the following years, various types of diseases were named: brain tumor, diabetes, various forms of enzyme deficiency, syphilis, apoplexy, alcoholic delirium, epilepsy and meningitis[166].
In 2006, a study of hair samples of Edgar and Virginia Poe was conducted, the results of which refuted the possibility of poisoning with lead, mercury, as well as other toxic fumes of heavy metals[173].
Also among the causes was cholera[174], the epidemic of which broke out in Philadelphia in 1849.
There is another theory that is highlighted by many biographers of the writer.
Elections to the congress and the legislative assembly of the State of Maryland were scheduled for October 3 in Baltimore.
At that time, there were no voter lists, which was used by opposing candidates and parties that formed special groups of voters.
People under the influence of alcohol were gathered in special places, and then forced to vote several times.
Probably, Po, who was the victim of a criminal scheme similar to the "electoral carousel", became useless due to his condition and was abandoned near the polling station of the 4th district, where he was found by Joseph Walker[175].
However, this theory also has opponents who claim that it would be difficult for Po, as a very well known person in the city, to participate in such a scheme[176].
"Memoirs" of Griswold[edit / edit wiki text]
Rufus Wilmot Griswold — the man who tarnished the reputation of Edgar Poe after his death
On the day when Poe was buried, a voluminous obituary written by a certain "Ludwig"appeared in the New York Tribune newspaper.
Soon it was reprinted by many publications throughout the country.
It began with these words: "Edgar Poe is dead.
He died the day before yesterday in Baltimore.
This news will amaze many, but few people will be saddened"[177].
Later it turned out that the pseudonym "Ludwig" was hiding Rufus Wilmot Griswold, an editor, critic and co author an anthology writer who had disliked Poe since 1842, when he replaced him as editor of Graham's Magazine.
During Poe's lifetime, their conflict was of an epistolary nature, limited to mutual attacks in literary articles.
After his death, Griswold began methodically destroying his reputation, forming an extremely negative image of the writer in society[178].
Griswold wrote "Memoirs of the Author", a biographical article about Poe, in which he presented him as an incorrigible drunkard, drug addict, madman and atheist, including the writer's letters as evidence[178].
Many of his statements were half truths, most of them outright lies.
In particular, it is safe to say that Poe was not a drug addict[179][180].
Despite the fact that people who knew the Software well (especially N. Willis, S. H. Whitman, F. Osgood and J. Graham), made repeated attempts in his defense and sharply condemned the "Memoirs" [181], the image created by Griswold became universally recognized for many years.
In 1941, it was proved that Poe's letters, which Griswold used in his work as evidence, were forged[182].
According to Griswold's statements, shortly before his death, Poe appointed him his literary executor.
It is not established whether this was actually the case, or whether he got this position through some scam or mistake of Maria Klemm, the writer's mother in law[183].
The literary critic Yu.
V. Kovalev considered the fact of Poe's participation in the appointment of Griswold as his executor recognized[184].
Anyway, in the following years, Griswold, who managed Poe's literary heritage, made a huge profit from the sales of a four volume collection of his works that became successful among readers, without leaving Maria Klemm a penny[185].
Secret admirer[edit / edit wiki text]
Main article: The secret admirer of Edgar Poe
Every year, since 1949, an unknown person visited the grave of Edgar Poe, paying tribute to the writer's talent.
In the early morning of January 19, a man dressed in black came to Po's grave, made a toast and left a bottle of cognac and three roses on the tombstone[186].
Sometimes notes of various contents were found on the tombstone.
In one of them, left in 1999, it was reported that the first secret admirer died last year and the obligations to continue the tradition were assigned to his "heir".
The tradition lasted for 60 years until 2009, when the secret admirer was last seen at the grave[187].
On August 15, 2007, 92 year old Sam Porpora, a historian of the Westminster Church where Poe is buried, said that it was he who began the tradition of visiting the writer's grave annually on his birthday[188].
He said that the purpose of his campaign was to raise funds for the needs of the church and increase interest in it.
However, his story was not confirmed — some of the details he expressed were not linked to the facts[189].
In 2012, Jeff Jerome, the curator of the Edgar Poe House Museum, who had previously denied rumors that he was a fan, announced the end of the tradition[190].
Personality[edit / edit wiki text]
Appearance and character[edit / edit wiki text]
Portrait of Edgar Allan Poe by Samuel Osgood, painted in 1845
In the early descriptions of appearance, the image of an attractive and athletic young man, prone to thinness, prevailed.
"Thin as a razor," is how John Allan described his fifteen year old stepson[191].
According to childhood friends, the young Po was the "ringleader" and the informal leader of the company.
He was a hardy, agile and well physically built teenager.
Po was also an excellent swimmer — at the age of 15, he was in front of his friends.
