A feckless young man of striking features and personal charisma, he soon established the pattern of his life: Poe distinguished himself while sober, but sabotaged his prospects by sprees, drinking himself into shambolic insensibility. In this little book, he examines the life of Edgar Allan Poe to show why the author of “The Raven” and “The Fall of the House of Usher” still matters.īorn in Boston to a theatrical family, Poe was orphaned early and raised by adoptive parents in Richmond, Virginia. Peter Ackroyd, a historian, novelist and the author of the best Shakespeare biography I’ve found, is nothing if not readable and credible. The busy but attentive reader will put it down plagued by the maddening itch of unanswered questions. Still, the form’s chief advantage - its brevity - cannot help leaving key matters undeveloped. When done well, the brief life gives its audience an intellectually plausible take on a famous person that’s also fun to read.
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