Edgar Allan Poe

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Description

In the history of literature there are few disparities greater than that betweenthe life of Edgar Allan Poe (18091849) and his work. His life was pitiful, burdened with poverty, the deaths of his mother and his wife, petty quarrelswith fellow authors, and wild drinking binges; his works, by contrast, are atriumph. Despite his disadvantages Poe managed to write some of the mostintricate, highly-crafted stories in literary history, in the process anticipating many of the directions western thought would take in the century to come. Written in an approachable, jargon-free style, Edgar Allan Poe will appeal to all readers interested in biography, literary history, American culture, and modern thought.

Reviews

The biography possesses an engaging style, and it is both well researched and scholarly while simultaneously accessible to a broader audience. Hayes is concise but judicious in his critical analysis of Poe's individual works within their historical context . . . Haye's biography is highly readable, richly informative, and well illustrated . . . freshly original . . . I highly recommend this book. * The Edgar Allan Poe Review *
This contribution to Reaktion's Critical Lives series fills the significant need for a well-researched, short biography of Edgar Allan Poe . . . Hayes has produced an excellent short biography that students, scholars, and Poe's many fans will all find to be an accurate and illuminating introduction to the author's life and work. * Virginia Magazine of History and Biography *
Hayes does a superb job detailing the impact Poe made outside of his native land, specifically in France, where writers like Charles Baudelaire found in Poe the model for his emerging experiments in symbolism . . . though he acknowledges Poes flaws, the portrait he paints of the misunderstood writer as a groundbreaking artist is compelling. * SimplyCharly.com *

Author Bio

A recipient of the George Washington Prize, Kevin J. Hayes lives and writes in Toledo, Ohio. He has published widely on American literature, history and culture, including Herman Melville, Edgar Allan Poe and Mark Twain in Reaktions Critical Lives series.