Edgar Allan Poe - by Richard Kopley (Hardcover)

About the Book

"Written by one of the world's leading experts on the life and literature of Edgar Allan Poe, this biography is a rich and rewarding study for the general reader as well as for the seasoned scholar. Richard Kopley combines a biographical narrative of Poe's enduring challenges-including his difficult foster father, his personal losses, his great struggles with depression and alcoholism, and the poverty that dogged his existence-with close readings of his work that focus not only on plot, character, and theme but also on language, allusion, and structure in a way that enhances our understanding of both. While incorporating past Poe scholarship, this volume also relates unknown stories of Poe culled from privately held letters unavailable to previous biographers, presenting a range of groundbreaking archival discoveries that illuminates the man and his oeuvre in ways never before possible"--

Book Synopsis

A groundbreaking exploration of one of America's most iconic and misunderstood authors

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life is the most comprehensive critical biography of Poe yet produced, exploring his fascinating life, his extraordinary work, and the vital relationship between the two. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre found in such works as "The Raven," "Annabel Lee," and "The Tell-Tale Heart," this legendary American author continues to intrigue and enthrall his devoted readers. Written by one of the world's leading Poe experts, this biography is a rich and rewarding study for the general reader as well as for the seasoned scholar. Richard Kopley combines a biographical narrative of Poe's enduring challenges--including his difficult foster father, his personal losses, his great struggles with depression and alcoholism, and the poverty that dogged his existence--with close readings of his work that focus not only on plot, character, and theme but also on language, allusion, and structure in a way that enhances our understanding of both. While incorporating past Poe scholarship, this volume also relates unknown stories of Poe culled from privately held letters unavailable to previous biographers, presenting a range of groundbreaking archival discoveries that illuminate the man and his oeuvre in ways never before possible.

Review Quotes

More than from any other Poe biographer, we get the nuances of the writer's life, almost on a day-by-day basis . . . an indispensable way of re-creating the whole man. . . It is a poignant story told by a biographer who has spent a lifetime acquiring the material and the insight that will make his work for a long time to come the standard biography of Edgar Allan Poe.--Carl Rollyson, The New York Sun

What sets [it] apart is the sheer scope of the work and the depth of the world it depicts . . . 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. . . Edgar Allan Poe is a brilliant biography that brings the celebrated Poe to life.--Shelf Awareness

It is well that a writer of such canonical importance should have a definitive biography, and Richard Kopley certainly seems the man to write it.--The Wall Street Journal

Thoughtful and compassionate . . . [a] tale of success and setback, temperance and bacchanals, playing out across the Atlantic seaboard and end-stopped by a death no less tragic for being in the cards. . . Where Kopley really excels is in connecting the life back to the work.--Louis Bayard, The Washington Post

[A] magisterial critical biography. . . . Kopley excels at elucidating how Poe's life influenced his work. . . . Blending rich literary analysis with new insights into Poe's character, this proves there's still plenty left to say about the master of the macabre.--Publishers Weekly (starred review)

Kopley brings authoritative insight to a critical biography of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) that can well be called definitive. . . . A richly detailed, sympathetic portrait.--Kirkus Reviews (starred review)

About the Author

Richard Kopley is Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Penn State DuBois, the author and editor of numerous books on Poe and American literature, and recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement & Service Award from the Poe Studies Association.