Edgar Allan Poe

[Serendipity09]

Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 - October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor, literary critic, and one of the leaders of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the early American practitioners of the short story and a progenitor of detective fiction and crime fiction. He is also credited with contributing to the emergent science fiction genre.
Poe married his 13-year old cousin Virginia Clemm. Her early death may have inspired some of his writing.
In January 1845, Poe published "The Raven" to instant success but, only two years later, his wife Virginia died of tuberculosis on January 30, 1847. Poe considered remarrying but never did. On October 7, 1849, Poe died at the age of 40 in Baltimore. The cause of his death is undetermined and has been attributed to alcohol, drugs, cholera, rabies, suicide (although likely to be mistaken with his suicide attempt in the previous year), tuberculosis, heart disease, brain congestion and other agents.
Poe's legacy includes a significant influence in literature in the United States and around the world as well as in specialized fields like cosmology and cryptography. Additionally, Poe and his works appear throughout popular culture in literature, music, films, television, video games, etc. Some of his homes are dedicated as museums today.

[Kathyf]

I like his headstone. I did not realize he died so young and not really knowing from what. I wonder what head congestion would be. Hemorage?

[Jack Raines]

I like his headstone. I did not realize he died so young and not really knowing from what. I wonder what head congestion would be. Hemorage?

I think it was an old-fashoined "polite" way of saying someone died from things such as alcoholism.

Wiikipedia has a great article on his death. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Edgar_Allan_Poe


Most of the stories about Edgar's alcoholism came from Rufus Wilmot Griswold, who somehow became the literary executor of Poe's estate, he was actually a rival of Poe's, and went on to publish the first full biography of Poe, depicting him as a depraved, drunk, drug-addled madman.

[Kathyf]

I think it was an old-fashoined "polite" way of saying someone died from things such as alcoholism.

Wiikipedia has a great article on his death. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Death_of_Edgar_Allan_Poe

Drug addicted Madman imagine if we could write that stuff today.

[Bigfoot]

Here's a pic of him in the casket WARNING, DEATH PIC INSIDE http://www.celebritymorgue.com/edgar-allan-poe/

[Lisamarie]

when I was little my I begged my family to take me to his house and I have been in love with him ever since. My favorite is annabell lee......for she was a child and I was a child in this castle by the sea........

[xoxojessicaxoxo]

i love poe. my english teacher in 8th grade introduced me to him. (kudos mr. ham) i have most of his writings in one thick book i bought from barnes and noble.

[suzycreamcheese1]

I have not been as others were
I have not seen as others saw
And all I've loved, I've loved alone.

[Jersey Girl]

when I was little my I begged my family to take me to his house and I have been in love with him ever since. My favorite is annabell lee......for she was a child and I was a child in this castle by the sea........

I've been to Edgar's house in Philly. He lived in a few houses in Philly, but the one I have been to is the only one still standing. I had a chilly feeling when walking through that house.

[hell0kitty]

ive read somewhere that one of his biggest fears was being buried alive...

[geekygirl]

This is so eerie, I have been thinking about Poe since last night and was going to create a thread on the subject when I got home from work tonight!

What got me thinking is that I went to my hometown last night where I have been getting my nails done for over 20 years (it's totally out of the way from where I live now, but the person who does my nails is a close friend and her work is awesome). There's a homeless guy that has been roaming the town ever since I was in college. I have a soft spot in my heart for homeless folks and we have sort have become acquaintences through the years. We don't have huge conversations, just hi, here have some money, God bless you, thank you, how are you, very basic small talk.

In any event, in all of the years I have known him, he has always worn sunglasses. Never thought much about it, because I sometimes wear my sunglasses even at night to protect my eyes from the wind and from dust and grit blowing into them. So last night, I was late for my appointment and decided that I wouldn't go over and talk to him and give him some money until after my appointment. When my girlfriend and I got done yakking, it was almost 10:00 and by that time the guy had "gone to bed," ie unrolled his sleeping bag in a corner of the shopping mall where he now primarily hangs out. He appeared to be asleep and was laying facing a wall. So I quietly walked up and folded up some money and gently threw it next to his stuff between him and the wall, then walked to my car.

He must have heard me, because as a pulled away, he had turned over and was now facing my direction. He apparently recognized me and gave me a high five and I waved back, but for the first time in over 20 years I saw his eyes. One of his eyes was scary looking, or to quote from The Telltale Heart, "He had the eye of a vulture â?? a pale blue eye, with a film over it... a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones."

So that's how I started thinking about Edgar Allen Poe. Unbeknownst to my husband and I until about a year after we were married is that both of us are big Poe fans. About ten years ago we were in Baltimore and made a point of visiting his grave. It's tricky because there is a monument to Poe near the front of the street that many mistake to be his grave, but his actual grave is further back, between an old chuch and a big, modern building that is part of the University of Maryland. When we finally found his grave, it was almost nightfall. There was a fresh, red, long-stemmed rose laying on the grave, but the most bizarre part was that we could hear this weird clicking noise. We never figured out where the clicking noise was coming from or what was causing it, and eventually as night fell we got the creeps and high-tailed it the hell out of there.

Odd fact of trivia: Poe was a cadet at the U.S. Military Academy in West Point, New York. Every day the cadets have to line up for I think what is called Parade Dress, ie in their full uniforms by class, unit, etc. and then they march around for a bit. I am sure any West Point grad is appalled by my description, there's probably a lot more to it than how I have described it. In any event, one day Poe showed up for Parade Dress completely naked and wearing absolutely nothing but his cross-belt. He was quickly expelled on honor charges.

[Catherine of Siena]

The cause of his death is undetermined and has been attributed to alcohol, drugs

Same as today(sickly people dying from drugs), except today they have given a new name to it: "AID$". Why a new name for something that has always existed? $$$$$$$$$$$$$$$$. That's why!

[BeeCee]

ive read somewhere that one of his biggest fears was being buried alive...

I think a lot of people of pre-embalming times had that fear. There was something on TV a couple of years ago about it...including all these elaborate devices people rigged up to enable them to pull a rope/chain and ring a bell from the coffin in case they woke up and found themselves (to borrow from one of Poeâ??s works) prematurely buried.

[Finnegan]

Here's a pic of him in the casket WARNING, DEATH PIC INSIDE http://www.celebritymorgue.com/edgar-allan-poe/

wow, that's a real coffin-y coffin. halloween style.

[Jack-O-Lantern]

This is so eerie, I have been thinking about Poe since last night and was going to create a thread on the subject when I got home from work tonight!

What got me thinking is that I went to my hometown last night where I have been getting my nails done for over 20 years (it's totally out of the way from where I live now, but the person who does my nails is a close friend and her work is awesome). There's a homeless guy that has been roaming the town ever since I was in college. I have a soft spot in my heart for homeless folks and we have sort have become acquaintences through the years. We don't have huge conversations, just hi, here have some money, God bless you, thank you, how are you, very basic small talk.

In any event, in all of the years I have known him, he has always worn sunglasses. Never thought much about it, because I sometimes wear my sunglasses even at night to protect my eyes from the wind and from dust and grit blowing into them. So last night, I was late for my appointment and decided that I wouldn't go over and talk to him and give him some money until after my appointment. When my girlfriend and I got done yakking, it was almost 10:00 and by that time the guy had "gone to bed," ie unrolled his sleeping bag in a corner of the shopping mall where he now primarily hangs out. He appeared to be asleep and was laying facing a wall. So I quietly walked up and folded up some money and gently threw it next to his stuff between him and the wall, then walked to my car.

He must have heard me, because as a pulled away, he had turned over and was now facing my direction. He apparently recognized me and gave me a high five and I waved back, but for the first time in over 20 years I saw his eyes. One of his eyes was scary looking, or to quote from The Telltale Heart, "He had the eye of a vulture â?? a pale blue eye, with a film over it... a dull blue, with a hideous veil over it that chilled the very marrow in my bones."

Great story! (and a little creepy too...)
"The Telltale Heart" is one of the most frightening short stories ever...it still gives me nightmares. Reading Poe is almost like having a waking nightmare...his stuff is so feverish, scares the hell out of me.

[smooches27]

Great story! (and a little creepy too...)
"The Telltale Heart" is one of the most frightening short stories ever...it still gives me nightmares. Reading Poe is almost like having a waking nightmare...his stuff is so feverish, scares the hell out of me.

Poe is my favorite....just to think...without him there may have never been a Stephen King or Dean Koontz....

[KELT]

EDGAR ALLAN POE
POE' house here in Baltimore
His shared (CLEMM family) monument

POE was originally buried in a different grave in the same cemetery. The large monument shown above came about when schoolchildren in Baltimore raised the funds 25 years after his death to provide the founding writer of the modern detective story a monument fitting his literary position.

POE allegedly loved the opiate laudenum. They say that he'd get high off of it and while drugged would have these incredible dreams, images. Once sober, he'd write down the incredible details from his drug induced dreams and incorporate them into his fantastic stories.

Shortly before he passed away, POE was found disoriented and apparently (either) drunk or drugged. One probable cause was that crooked pollsters had gotten ahold of him, plied him with drink and then used him to vote for their candidate. When he was found, he was taken to the CHURCH HOME HOSPITAL; where he died only days later.

[SuckMyKiss]

'The Raven' is one of my favourite pieces of poetry, ever. It was sad he died so young, he influenced so many great writers/artists that we have today.

[MbalmR]

I haven't read any of Poe's work in ages. This has rekindled my interest in his writing, though! Great thread topic!

[SheBoss]

Poe is without a doubt the greatest American Poet/Writer ever. My favorite is "Masque of the Red Death". I just wish he had stayed around a bit longer, so we would have more of his wonderful stories.

[Ghoulie Girl]

I liked Annabell Lee too.

[MagnusDippytack]

The photo on celebrity Morgue is not Poe. I believe it is a contemporary fake since all things in the picture are in focus. In Poe's day camera lenses were hand ground and you could only get a sharp focus in the middle of the image. The person in the coffin is a young man, Poe died at forty and looked sixty.

Poe's mustache was used to cover a hairlip. In his earliest known photo you can see it on his clean shaven face. It was a minor hairlip and did not affect his speech.

My theory of his death is that he was drugged to get robbed. Poe had been sober the last year of his life and was making money at the time giving temperance lectures. He came to Baltimore with a trunk of nice clothes as well as wearing some, but was found in bum's clothing with no other possesions. Its hard for us in this modern age of mass clothing production to appreciate how expensive and rare clothes were in the pre-industrial age. That is why very few clothes from the olden times exist because they were worn to rags.

I believe that the drug used to roll him destroyed his liver function and he died in extreme pain.

"I am insane with horrible intervals of sanity" E.A. Poe

[LadyCurry]

ive read somewhere that one of his biggest fears was being buried alive...

Perhaps this fear is why we have "The Fall of the House of Usher." I read that last semester in my LIT class...it was OK.

[cherryghost]

Didnt Poe suffer from Narcolepsy? I read he suffered great poverty at times with Virginia.

There is a book called Poe's Cat" That tells a story of the cat Poe and Virginia had that kept Virginia warm by sleeping on her tubercular chest! They were very poor and didnt always have enough blankets or fuel to keep warm!

I love the Raven read out loud!

[Guest]

I'm working on an Edgar Allen Poe themed tattoo right now.

It has a skull with a candle, an open book that will have a quote from either "The Raven" or "The telltale heart" written in it.

It also features an hourglass & a realistic rose.

Gloomy but fitting in all together.

Colors & a few other details are still being sorted out but I'll post more pics if there is any interest.

[Jazbabee]

I love the concept of a Poe Tat......please do share the completed work with us !!

[disco]

I visited Poe's grave a day or two before Halloween. As I stood by the site, the spirit of Poe came to me in a vision. In the tomb of Liegia lay the soul of his wife. Its there that one must confront the trapped soul of El Gato. Only by the liquidation of the soul of El Gato can Liegia be set free to enter the gates of the spirit world. Until then Poe lays waiting for souls until he can snatch the body of one. I have been spared.

[midnitelamp]

i think george washington had in his will how long he should lie in state to avoid a premature burial.

on further review,the request by the General to not be placed in the vault for three days was made to his secretary Tobias Lear while on his death bed,not actually in the written will.

[MagnusDippytack]

Although he only lived 7 years in the U.S. photo era, several photos of his do exist and about a half dozen are still missing. Find one and you are set for life. Here are some that survive.

[lisalouver]

http://www6.comcast.net/news/article...stery.Visitor/

Interesting story! I did not know where to put it, but since Poe is dead, I put it in this forum.

[Mamma]

What an interesting story! I wish the group wouldn't have fessed up though, I LOVE the mystery better!

Didn't someone also do this at Marilyn Monroe's grave? Or was that DiMaggio every year? Seems to me I recall such a mystery visitor at her grave. Or maybe another silver screen bombshell's grave?

[Jazbabee]

What an interesting story! I wish the group wouldn't have fessed up though, I LOVE the mystery better!

Didn't someone also do this at Marilyn Monroe's grave? Or was that DiMaggio every year? Seems to me I recall such a mystery visitor at her grave. Or maybe another silver screen bombshell's grave?

Mamma.....I believe it is Monroe's grave that receives a white rose from a mystery visitor. I may be mistaken, but I think it still continues to this day.

[halogirl5]

what i don't get is why doesn't someone stake out the site all day? He has to turn up sooner or later?

[lisalouver]

what i don't get is why doesn't someone stake out the site all day? He has to turn up sooner or later?

I know if I had the time I would do the stakeout!!

[RaRaRamona]

I love this story. I thought people have staked it out before?

[Snoopy]

Great story! and I believe for a time Dimaggio had flowers put on Marilyn's grave annually but stopped then someone else continued and that person isn't known.

[Jazbabee]

what i don't get is why doesn't someone stake out the site all day? He has to turn up sooner or later?

Halo.....I am fairly confident that they have done stakeouts and watches in the past. I personally feel that the source is known (and may be linked to the proprieters), but they keep this think alive to maintain interest in Poe and the grave site.

[lisalouver]

Halo.....I am fairly confident that they have done stakeouts and watches in the past. I personally feel that the source is known (and may be linked to the proprieters), but they keep this think alive to maintain interest in Poe and the grave site.

Good point Jaz. I would like to visit if I ever get out that way.

[cherryghost]

I heard Di Maggio sent a red rose to her grave each year! Thought it continued untill he died?
This concept possibly became first recognised with The lady in Black, who visited Valentino's grave each yr !
I think they finally found out who she was, its also nice when the ritual is passed on down the family.

[Serendipity09]

BALTIMORE - Undeterred by controversy, a mysterious visitor paid his annual tribute at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe early Saturday, placing three red roses and a half-filled bottle of cognac before stealing away into the darkness.

Nearly 150 people had gathered outside the cemetery of Westminster Presbyterian Church, but the man known as the "Poe toaster" was, as usual, able to avoid being spotted by the crowd, said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum.

The tribute takes place every Jan. 19 --- the anniversary of Poe's birth.

The visitor did not leave a note, Jerome said, electing not to respond to questions raised in the past year about the history and authenticity of the tribute.

[Aries65]

I think Dimaggio sent red roses to her grave twice a week for many years - is what I heard.

[cherryghost]

Lookes like every photo was take in the same spot on the same day in different poses! Or maybe not! But I do like him a lot from his photos and his writings!

[cherryghost]

Yes he had a great fear of being buried alive because of his narcolepsy and had pre arranged a grave where if he were buried alive he could ring a bell to get out of the grave!

I would have a fear of being buried alive if I had narcolepsy also!

Was Cognac Poe's choice of drink?

[Vamp]

BALTIMORE - Undeterred by controversy, a mysterious visitor paid his annual tribute at the grave of Edgar Allan Poe early Saturday, placing three red roses and a half-filled bottle of cognac before stealing away into the darkness.

Nearly 150 people had gathered outside the cemetery of Westminster Presbyterian Church, but the man known as the "Poe toaster" was, as usual, able to avoid being spotted by the crowd, said Jeff Jerome, curator of the Poe House and Museum.

The tribute takes place every Jan. 19 --- the anniversary of Poe's birth.

The visitor did not leave a note, Jerome said, electing not to respond to questions raised in the past year about the history and authenticity of the tribute.

I have heard of this and would love to be there when it happens!

[el gato malo]

I'm not sure where I heard it, perhaps my grandfather but at one time it was widely speculated that Poe's drink of choice was absinthe, and that over consuming it was the cause of his death. Certainly the delirium that he was found in could have been caused by absinthe.

I have been a huge fan of Poe since I was a child. My great uncle gave me an old book published in 1927 called "The Complete Works of Poe in One Volume" (or something similar). The horror stories and poems aside, one of may favorite pieces from that book when I got older was a piece called "Morning on the Wissahiccon" (modern spelling is Wissahickon) which I believe was published after his death.

Alot of the footpaths and landmarks Poe describes are still there in Fairmount Park, and starting out from Forbidden Drive, you can hike and climb the paths of the "granite cliffs" to an overlook. At the top is a statue of an Indian called Tedyuscung.

Parts of the area are supposed to be haunted, and certainly if you hike it by moonlight it gives the appearance. When my mother was a child growing up in Roxborough there were rumours that one of the ghosts was an old hermit. When I was in HS we did a candlelight hike up to the statue and it was very eerie. I don't know if they allow this anymore or not.

Anyway, it's a neat way to walk in Poe's footsteps so to speak. Here's a link to a bio and many of his works. http://www.online-literature.com/poe/. And here is a link to "Morning on the Wissahiccon" http://classiclit.about.com/library/...oe-morning.htm

[SheBoss]

Thanks for the info el gato! And welcome to the board. There are many Poe fans here. It seems death and Edgar Allen Poe go hand in hand.

[sunshine74137]

A dark handsome brooding author/poet, just the kind of guy I would fall for. Unfortunately most of the ones I meet are just dark and brooding not so talented in the author/poet category, But don't tell them that

[Snoopy]

Poe always fascinated me..I love all his work..he had such a dark mind! The Stephen King of his time! Dark but what a story teller!

[onekindsistah]

My boyfriend's been telling me that they do some big thing at the gravesite on Halloween, I think we're doing that this year.

[mrnorrischangestrains]

when I was little my I begged my family to take me to his house and I have been in love with him ever since. My favorite is annabell lee......for she was a child and I was a child in this castle by the sea........

that is such a beautiful poem. You know there is actually a place here that would be perfect for the setting. And the owner is a massive Poe fan. I just had to think of that when I reread the poem just now. Thanks.