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Edgar A. Poe: Mournful and Never-ending Remembrance

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If you have enough interest in Poe to even entertain the idea of reading a biography, you should move ahead now and order a copy of this fantastic book. But you'd better have a copy of Poe's works nearby, because Silverman's book (as with all excellent literary biographies)will continually fire your yearning to revisit familiar Poe works and to discover ones you've missed. Assuming that your interest derives first from Poe's writings, you'll find Silverman's account wholly engaging. I like to thumb through it simply for Silverman's analytic synopses of Poe's poems and stories, which the author enlivens with connections between the work he's currently reviewing and earlier and later ones as well. Silverman thus offers a total panorama of Poe's interests, development, themes and aims. Indeed, the book could almost be the biography of Poe's literary accomplishment.

Silverman's finely detailed yet compulsively readable account of Poe's life is equally engrossing. The book's title is the most sensationalistic thing about it, for Silverman pursues the facts and spectualtions about Poe with deep scholarly interest but objective, rational distance--and yet he relays it all with a novelist's drive. He allows the unremittingly frustrating commingling of tragedy and success in Poe's life speak for itself. Though this is a book to be read from cover to cover, you can nonethless pick it up anywhere and find yourself immediately involved. Silverman capture's Poe's person and his art with balance and intensity in his solid biography.

I love biographies and read a great many of them. Silverman's work on Poe is certainly my favorite bio of the American Romantic. Poe was my first and most important influence in life. I read him in middle school, and later in high school, I wrote my senior paper on his works. Since then, I have read every biography I could get my hands on. This one book is my keeper. Somehow, in his own personal way, Silverman was able to capture a side to Poe I had not really seen in earlier readings. It is subtitled a Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance, and that is exactly what it is. Here Poe comes alive, in all his glories and disappointments. It's mournful, it's detailed, and it will certainly never leave your memory. Silverman actually breathes life into Poe, and for a moment, while you are reading, you feel as though you might look over and see Edgar A sitting next to you. That's kind of nice.

I bought this book primarily to find out Silverman's take on Poe's being found (just before his death) in clothes that did not belong to him (as indicated in a video in the Great Authors series). That odd fact, combined with the alter egos he created in stories like "Fall of the House of Usher" made me wonder if Poe had some sort of alter ego himself. Though the clothing issue is not completely explained (after all, who could know with certainty?), Silverman's book does offer insights into Poe's use of false identity, pseudonym, anonymous writing, plagiarism, and other identity issues (especially relating to his odd perversions of the Allan name and his brother's name). In addition, Poe's behavior, as explained by Silverman, put me in mind of a book entitled *I Hate You, Don't Leave Me: Understanding the Borderline Personality Disorder* by Jerold J. Kreisman and Hal Straus, published in 1989. I'm an English teacher, not a psychologist, and I do not know the current thinking on borderline personality disorder, but it is apparent that virtually every characteristic Kreisman and Straus identified in the borderline personality were exhibited by Poe. The next time I teach Poe, I plan to present information from both books for my students to consider (after reading "Fall of the House of Usher," Poe's story with a cross-gender alter ego). Thanks, Professor Silverman, for a marvelously researched and documented book!

I loved this book. It was another instance of realizing that almost everything I knew about a topic (in this case, E.A.Poe) was inaccurate. Also, Silverman's book provided a number of insights into life in New York, Boston, Philadelphia and Richmond in the pre-Civil War 19th Century. I do wish, however, that the author had more directly addressed some lingering questions about Poe; specifically, the real nature of his marriage to Virginia and his peculiar relationship to her mother, and the cause of his bouts of derangement (was it really alcohol or some other mental/chemical condition?). This was a rich and deep book that was very difficult to put down, even though it's long.

This is an excellent, highly detailed and informative biography of one of the greatest American authors and poets.

Poe's life was rough from the start. His parents (David and Eliza) left him early, his father through abandonment, his mother through an early death. Young Poe was sent to live with surrogate parents, the "father" being John Allan, a wealthy merchant who wanted Poe to be something more (or at least something different) than Poe himself wanted to be.

Silverman pulls no punches, painting a most realistic and unbiased account of Poe's life. For example, he tells of Poe's troubles in his early college years, with Poe blaming his troubles on the parsimonious John Allan. In reality, however, much of Poe's troubles were caused by Poe himself, via his gambling, his habit of breaking promises, of borrowing and not repaying, and so on.

Silverman covers Poe's Army serivce, telling of young Edgar as Sergeant Major of Artillery, of Poe's few months at West Point (he did not graduate), of his work as a magazine writer, editor, and critic, and of Poe's most memorable triumphs--including the publication of the poem THE RAVEN, a masterpiece for which Poe is perhaps best known. Silverman also tells of Poe's almost constant grinding poverty, his relationships with women and family members, his struggles to start his own magazine, his depression, his alcoholism, and much more.

My overall sense from reading this bio is that Poe was certainly a tragic figure, recognized by many during his time for being a literary genius, but not often rewarded as such. Then again, Poe's boorish, drunken behavior, his near constant begging for money, his failure to repay his debts (not to mention his almost complete lack of a business sense) certainly did not help him gain positive recognition. It seems, in fact, that Poe was often his own worst enemy.

This book contains the best research and writing of any I have read on Poe's life. It's an engrossing read and shouldn't be missed by anyone who's ever been caught up in one of Poe's stories or poems. It's also the first biography that manages to present Poe as a human being, in all his complexities. Read it, too, for its excellent portrait of life in the U.S. in the first half of the 19th century. Heartily recommended -- evermore!

This book is the first I've read about the life of Edgar Allan Poe, so I'm not in position to declare it the definitive Poe study but I cannot imagine another biography being as thoroughly researched and thought-out as Kenneth Silverman's work. I purchased this book because I wanted to read about Poe's life not analyses of his works. Silverman concentrates on Poe's life and career but does include some analysis of his writings. Often he finds parallels in the names of Poe's characters and the names of the people in his life (see pages 208 and 237, for example). On the surface, that does not seem very unusual but Silverman expands beyond just the names having the same letters into insight on the role such people played in Poe's life. Silverman also examines Poe's writing techniques which used punctuation, sounds, and rhythm to bring emphasis and effectiveness to his works (pg. 113). A student of mathematics at the University of Virginia, logic and methodology also played roles in Poe's writing as he, himself, explained in "The Philosophy of Composition" (pp. 296-7).

The biography is 447 pages with 73 pages of chapter notes and Appendices that summarize some of Poe's works, but it reads very quickly. The text is divided into 46 chapters of about ten pages each with the dates being covered at the top so it is easy to follow and to read in short time blocks like lunch breaks. It is "reader friendly" in other words. It is scholarly but not inaccessible. It is also a fair account. Silverman does not gloss over or ignore Poe's faults but also does not dwell on them and puts some of his actions in context (i.e. his marriage to his 13 year-old cousin and his womanizing after--and even before--her death is not as promiscuous as it seems). It is not a sycophantic account either. Poe was a strict editor and sometimes vicious reviewer who found many errors and even evidence of plagiarism in the works of some of the greatest writers of his day, but Silverman points out similar mistakes and plagiarisms in Poe's works (pp. 71, 84, 398). Silverman also makes sure that, when there is no direct evidence to certain information, there is reliable corroborating evidence (i.e. pg. 291). Silverman uses letters and primary sources to bring the facts together.

I was also impressed by Silverman's analysis of the daguerreotypes of Poe. He notices details in the images that may not be evident to the casual viewer. A vein in Poe's forehead is bulging in the daguerreotype taken just after his suicide attempt (pg. 376). The last known daguerreotype of Poe was taken impromptu and his clothes are a bit disheveled in it as a result (pg. 432). Sixteen pages in the center of the book have images of Poe and many of the people and places in his life as well as a handwritten letter to his aunt/mother-in-law.

Silverman's account is very thorough. It includes information on Poe's parents that, although only nine-pages, is revealing. John Allan's upbringing is examined which gives insight into his attitude regarding young Edgar whom he considered ungrateful. Poe's attachment to his cousin and aunt and his need for a mother-figure in his life is discussed. His views on poetry, periodicals as well as his attitude regarding the America of his time (which he saw as conformist and money-driven), Abolition, Christianity, and Democracy are revealed through the use of his own writings. I think I found an error, though. On page 47, Silverman states that Poe claimed his parents died in the "Richmond theater fire of 1809." The fire occurred on December 26, 1811. Did Poe write the wrong date or was that a typo on Silverman's part?

One area which is not examined much, though, is his death. Poe's death and the events immediately leading up to it only make up an 8-page chapter. In his chapter notes, Silverman states that his account relies on Dr. Moran's November 1849 letter to Maria Clemm (pg. 518). This book is not one of rumors and hearsay, but an examination of the theories regarding Poe's death would have been welcomed. A friend of mine claims Poe died of rabies. I also read that Poe may have been kidnapped and forced to vote during the elections. How and why did these stories come about? The book ends with the last decades of Muddy's life (Poe's aunt/mother-in-law) and seems to close abruptly considering the thoroughness of the rest of the work. Still, I highly recommend "Mournful and Never-Ending Remembrance" to anyone interested in the life of Edgar Allan Poe. Also, check out the website of the Harry Ransom Center at the University of Texas campus. They currently have an exhibit that includes vintage books and letters, one of Poe's desks, a brooch with a lock of his hair and other paraphernalia that is going on until January 3, 2010. I saw these items in person when I visited the museum but you can also view the mementos on their website.

biography of Delmore Schwartz. Objective, magnificently researched, marvellously articulate, witty, urbane, insightful. Congratulations to you, Kenneth Silverman, for elevating the biographical bar for everyone.

Silverman doesn't seem to like Poe much.

Poe's desperate poverty, his supporting a sick wife and her mother by writing alone, doesn't, to Silverman, really justify Poe's recycling of his early work, the occasional puff piece on writers and editors he wanted to ingratiate himself with or the near plagiarism of other authors. His mysterious death had to be the result of drinking too much or a sudden withdrawal from liquor. Never mind the bouts of illness that plagued him, especially in his last two years, and the contemporary testimony that he had a peculiar susceptibility to even small amounts of alcohol. No such sentiments for Silverman.

Those poems? Well, they're famous, especially "The Raven". But he lied about how it came to be written. It wasn't really a calculating, almost mathematically composed piece. "Tamerlane" just shows a young Poe as a would-be Byron, the desire of a future soldier and poet to conquer the world.

The infamous EUREKA? Mostly bad philosophy mixed with a popular astronomy work of the day.

Those stories? Well, Silverman seems to like "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", the first detective story, the best of all Poe's works. "The Case of M. Valdemar" and "Melonta Tauta" are argueably important as prototypes of another genre - science fiction. However, they don't get much respect. Just the questionable contention that "Valdemar" begins a prevalent tradition in horror of liquefying corpses and that "Melonta Tauta" mainly shows Poe's anti-democratic feelings. Sure, Silverman covers all the other famous stories, but it's mostly to draw biographical inferences from them. While he restricts most of his Freudian analysis to the book's unusually confusing footnotes, he can't resist finding constant references to "Allan", the very seldom used middle name of Poe that came from the name of his never-father John Allan, in the titles of Poe works and characters. (The key, you see, is the double "a"s and "l"s.) This reaches its nadir when we're invited to see the title of "Ulalume" as another example of Allan even though it has only one of the required "a"s.

Given that he doesn't really see Poe as a literary genius or innovator - with the exception of "Rue Morgue", one wonders why Silverman even bothered to make the effort because quite an effort it was.

This is a long, detailed, but very readable book. Silverman is thorough in his coverage of Poe's family many of whom left Poe at a young age. There was the father who deserted him; the beloved, barely remembered mother who died at age 24; a beloved older brother, William Henry Leonard Poe, who also died at age 24. His surrogate mothers died young. His beloved cousin-wife Virginia died at age 25. And, in a nice coda, Silverman talks about the fate of Poe's beloved aunt and mother-in-law "Muddy" Clemm and his younger sister Rosalie Poe.

Remembering the dead, wishing for and fearing their silence, Silverman argues, is one of Poe's major themes. The names of his past and his family reverberate in the place names of his stories, in characters' names, in the mysterious cries Arthur Pym hears in Antarctica. William Poe was also a writer and poet, and there is a particularly interesting section on how similar their early poems were, pointing to collaboration or an eerie similarity of theme and image.

The other major theme Silverman discusses in Poe's works is the recurring presence of characters who cross back and forth, sometimes literally, sometimes symbolically, the line of life and death. It is part of the theme of remembering and honoring the dead. The "mournful and never-ending remembrance" of the dead is what Poe himself said was the theme of "The Raven", but it also holds true for much of his other work.

Silverman discusses Poe's many literary feuds, touches on his "Imp of the Perverse" (as he called it) - his seeming will to self-destruction.

Some Poe scholars claim Silverman always puts the worst interpretation on Poe's actions. Perhaps so. On the other hand, this book is a useful antidote to thoughtless and ignorant Poe worship. Poe was not the accomplished linguist he claimed. The man who wrote "The Gold Bug" was probably only adept at solving simple ciphers. (Which in no way means that he didn't inspire real cryptographers to take up their trade.) His work did have precedents. Yes, he did occasionally borrow images and language from others. His writing sometimes showed the sins he ruthlessly criticized in others. His did, perhaps, forge checks. He certainly lied about his past whether it was his age or why he married Virginia.

No, I don't think Silverman likes Poe much. And you may or may not after reading this book. But, if you already admire Poe's work, this will help you understand the man better. And, despite the occasional intrusion of worthless Freudianism, Silverman does have some credible and interesting things to say about the relationship between Poe's life and works.

If you have a sincere interest in Edgar Allan Poe, you must read Silverman's biography of Poe! It is well-researched, comprehensive, and written in an accessible, understandable way (just what you'd expect from a Pulitzer Prize winner). Silverman lays down all the facts, but also makes the reader aware of the complexities of Poe's story, admitting there are certain fuzzy areas. The book interweaves Poe's life with his work, the background of the 19th century American publishing industry, and critical interpretations both contemporary and modern. Silverman has admitted he was not a Poe fan before setting out to write this book and I admit that it comes across a bit biased against Poe; Silverman finds a few opportunities to paint Poe as a "bad guy" even when the judgment is not shared by other biographers. Silverman also overemphasizes autobiographical themes in absolutely all of Poe's writing - it does not take a discerning reader to see some of his examples are absurd. Most insulting are Silverman's constant attempts to find mommy and daddy issues, specifically his foster-father's name ("Allan") in any instance of a double "A" or double "L," in Poe's fictional names or titles.

What makes this book so important is not its literary analysis, however. Instead, the book is valuable because of its accurate recordings of the facts, the whens and wheres of Poe. Incredibly thorough and an enjoyable read, grab this biography alongside the one written by Arthur Hobson Quinn and you almost certainly will find the true depiction of Poe somewhere in the middle.