Wednesday, January 7, 2009

Investigate Tales of Edgar Allan Poe

Great American writer, Edgar Allan Poe, was born on January 19, 1809. He lived a short life and died at age 40. His influence is "long-lived and far-flung." The 200th anniversary of Poe's birth, this coming year, is scheduled to celebrate in every library across United States - in schools, colleges, and public libraries. The big celebration is planned to involve Richmond, Va. (where Poe grew up) and Baltimore (site of Poe's grave and home to the Ravens football team) - all the way to Russia and Japan.
Edgar Allan Poe was orphaned by the age of 3, and as a young adult he was adapted by a foster father. One by one, everybody he loved (including his foster mother, his older brother, and his young wife, Virginia) died before him. The unsolved story of his death adds another layer to Poe's mysticism. As his biography goes, in September 1849, Poe left Richmond for New York - but instead went to Baltimore, where he was found six days later, very ill and delirious, at a local tavern. He passed away within days. Since that time, nobody resolved the unknown chain of events that took him to Baltimore, nor the actual disease that caused his death.
There is more to this fascinated story. Poe's scholar, Edward Petit, has issued a thread to dig up the author's grave and move the body to Philadelphia where Poe lived for several years.
The information and facts were reported by Diane Cole's in U.S. News, Vol.145, Number 14, p.53-54.

1 comment:

Kim said...

Interesting facts about poe, thanks! I was so focused on the inaguration and on Lincols bicentenial that I forgot about The Ravenmatur