Library Journal Mobile
Log In  |  Register          Free Newsletter Subscription
Subscribe to LJ Magazine
Email
Learn RSS

In the Bookroom   



Link This | Email this | Blog This | Comments (2)


Baltimore's Bicentennial Birthday Boy: Edgar Allan Poe

October 7, 2008

.

Abe Lincoln isn't the only birthday boy celebrating his big 200 next year. January 19, 2009 marks the bicentennial of the birth of Edgar Allen Poe,  and according to tradition,  Baltimore's legendary Poe Toaster, clad in a black cape and white scarf, will leave three roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac at Poe's grave in the wee hours of the morning.

To honor the strange genius who shaped American literature and created the modern genres of horror and Poe's childrenmystery, the Mystery Writers of America are publishing two anthologies this January. Edited by Michael Connelly, In the Shadow of the Master: Classic Tales by Edgar Allen Poe (Morrow. ISBN 978-0-06-169039-6. $24.95) collects 16 of  Poe's greatest stories ("The Cask of Amontillado", "The Masque of Red Death", etc.) with accompanyiing essays discussing Poe's influence on the works of such mystery and suspense writers as Laura Lippman, Jeffery Deaver, Sue Grafton, and Stephen King. On a Raven's Wing, (HarperISBN 978-0-06-169042-6. pap. $14.95)  edited by Stuart M. Kaminsky, collects 20 original stories inspired by Poe and written by such contemporary masters as Mary Higgins Clark, S.J. Rozan, Thomas H. Cook, and James W. Hall. Out now is Poe's Children: The New Horror, which celebrates Poe's impact on horror fiction.

Charmed to DeathBeginning this Thursday, about 1,500 of Poe's heirs (writers and fans of mystery) will gather in Baltimore at the four-day 2008 international Bouchercon conference. The American guest of honor is Baltimore native Laura Lippman, and other authors attending are Lawrence Block, Lee Child, Rhys Bowen, and John Harvey. Panels cover a wide range of topics, incuding a very interesting Friday morning event in which Poe scholar Ed Pettit argues why Poe's body should be moved to Philadelphia. (He will also debate a Baltimore opponent on January 13 at the Philadelphia Free Library.) Of course, that reminds me of the old W.C. Fields joke about Philly. Would Poe really rather be in Philadelphia?


Posted by Wilda Williams on October 7, 2008 | Comments (2)


Email
Learn RSS


October 7, 2008
In response to: Baltimore's Bicentennial Birthday Boy: Edgar Allan Poe
Karl Helicher commented:

Not only is it the 200th birthday of Lincoln and Poe, but also Charles Darwin, who share the same birthdate with Lincoln. See David Contosta's REBEL GIANTS: ABRAHAM LINCOLN AND CHARLES DARWIN, for an interesting compariive bio. Now as for relocating Poe to Philadelphia, I'm sure that this is a ploy by Mayor Nutter or City Council because it would mean one more possible vote and one more person who would be dunned the city wage tax.




October 8, 2008
In response to: Baltimore's Bicentennial Birthday Boy: Edgar Allan Poe
Wilda Williams commented:

Karl, thanks for the heads up on Charles Darwin's bicentennial. By the way 2008 is the 150th anniversary of the publication of his Origins of the Species. Look for a roundup of Darwin-related titles in our December issue.





POST A COMMENT
Display Name or Registered Users Login Here.
Please restrict submissions to less than 7,000 characters (including any HTML formatting).

Change Image
Before submitting this form, please type the characters displayed above.
Note the letters are NOT case sensitive.

Advertisement

Advertisements





©2009 Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Use of this Web site is subject to its Terms of Use | Privacy Policy
Please visit these other Reed Business sites