There is no shortage of biographies of iconic 19th-century American writer Edgar Allan Poe, best known for his poems, such as "The Raven," as well as fiction, such as "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (often cited as the first contemporary murder mystery). What sets Edgar Allan Poe: A Life by Richard Kopley, Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Penn State DuBois, apart is the sheer scope of the work and the depth of the world it depicts.
Woven together with biographical details are explorations of the critical reception and controversy surrounding Poe's work. This substantially researched volume handsomely rewards readers' attention. As exhaustive as the biography is, it generally avoids becoming dry or academic, instead taking readers through Poe's turbulent life and work at a brisk clip.
What further distinguishes this biography is its focus on the context in which Poe created his classics. Kopley delves into the literary influences that contributed to Poe's work and the intellectual currents of the time, and considers the specific circumstances that led to the creation of some of Poe's most famous stories and poems.
This approach provides a richer understanding of Poe's creative process and his engagement with the cultural conversation of the day. It's particularly fascinating to read about Poe's lecture series, one address in which was titled "The Poetic Principle," and his lifelong aspiration to helm a literary journal called the Stylus, which he referred to as his "darling scheme" and which he was trying to fund until the last days of his life. Edgar Allan Poe is a brilliant biography that brings the celebrated Poe to life. --Elizabeth DeNoma, executive editor, DeNoma Literary Services, Seattle, Wash.