Edgar A. Poe: A Biography - by Kenneth Silverman (Paperback)

About the Book

From a Pulitzer Prize-winning biographer, the most revealing, fascinating, and important biography of one of our greatest literary figures. "An authoritative biography that both clarifies many problems in Poe's life that have baffled readers for a century and a half and enriches interpretation of many of Poe's writings. . . ".--New York Times Book Review. 33 photographs. Index.

Book Synopsis

"Vivid, absorbing, superbly handled, and completely riveting." --Boston Globe

"This biography of Edgar Allan Poe shows us how the mourning, melancholy, alcoholic literary innovator derived his uncanny tales and graveyard poetry from his chronic despair, and how he consoled himself by inventing the modern detective story. An engrossing literary biography." --Leon Edel

Pulitzer Prize-winning author Kenneth Silverman's authoritative biography of one of the greats of American literature, Edgar Allan Poe.

Few writers have had such a profound, lasting impact as the incomparable Edgar Allan Poe. Though written more than two hundred years ago, his stories have lost none of their power to enchant, thrill, and terrify. Poe's tales of mystery and death continue to work their eerie magic on readers of all stripes.

Yet, for all the attention given to his work, many of the details of Poe's life remain shrouded in obscurity. A man whose stories are familiar to all, Poe was a tortured soul who died a relatively young man under mysterious circumstances. In this fascinating biography, called "the best biography of Poe yet written," by the Washington Post, Silverman illuminates the dark life of the beloved storyteller, going beyond the literary genius to the intimate details of Poe's tormented life.

Edgar A. Poe is the definitive account of the life of a true master.

From the Back Cover

From a Pulitzer-Prize winning biographer, the most revealing, fascinating, and important biography of one of our greatest literary figures.

Review Quotes

"In every respect...the best biography of Poe yet written.... Silverman's most considerable achievement is that despite [Poe's] manifold faults he manages to paint a sympathetic portrait." -- Washington Post

"An authoritative biography that both clarifies many problems in Poe's life that have baffled readers for a century and a half and enriches interpretation of many of Poe's writings....As an account of the life of this powerful writer it stands unchallenged." -- New York Times Book Review

"Vivid, absorbing, superbly handled, and completely riveting...[Poe] will live on...in this splendid biography." -- Boston Globe

"A remarkable book...which succeeds wonderfully well in summoning up the turbulent world through which Poe moved like an angry, black-browed waterspout." -- Los Angeles Times Book Review

"Absorbing, compelling, balanced, and carefully researched." -- New York Times

"In this mesmerizing chronicle of Poe's short and disorderly life, Pulitzer and Bancroft Prize-winning Silverman incorporates fresh discoveries about the poet/storyteller's travels, relationships, and literary works." -- Publishers Weekly

"Outstanding.... A remarkable success...written with careful skill and great style." -- Kirkus Reviews

"A book that is as readable as any fiction...authoritative and very welcome." -- Houston Chronicle

"Silverman's exhaustive research...restores to us the Poe we've always intuited behind such tales as 'The Black Cat.'" -- Newsweek

"In many ways a perfect academic biography....[Silverman] succeeds in creating a vivid picture...of the world through which Poe's inscrutable figure stalks." -- American Spectator

"This biography of Edgar Allan Poe shows us how the mourning, melancholy, alcoholic literary innovator derived his uncanny tales and graveyard poetry from his chronic despair, and how he consoled himself by inventing the modern detective story. An engrossing literary biography." -- Leon Edel

"Excellent...both an illuminating and moving tribute to a major American writer." -- Roger Asselineau, Professor Emeritus of American Literature, University of Paris-Sorbonne, and author of The Evolution of Walt Whitman

"Kenneth Silverman's biography of Poe may be the best single volume ever written about the most melodramatic figure in American letters; it is definitely one of the best literary biographies ever written....Silverman does a lot of hard slogging, unearthing new facts and reinterpreting old ones....Brilliant." -- The Independent (London)

"As near-faultless as a literary biography can be." -- The Guardian (London)