Customer Reviews

Israfel: The Life and Times of Edgar Alan Poe

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Much has been written about Edgar Allen Poe, but this classic biography offers a uniquely literary perspective on Poe. Written by the in the 1920s by Hervey Allen who later became well known for his epic novel, Anthony Adverse, Israfel was the first definitve biography of Poe and has been a foundational reference for all biographies written since. It has the added dimension of a biography written in the same general era that Poe lived thus, perhaps, telling us as much about that era as it does about Poe.

I read this book because Hervey Allen is one of my all-time favorite authors. This book was immensely fascinating, not only due to Allen's writing style (very readable and down-to-earth), but also due to the subject of Poe. I greatly enjoyed this entire book, and would very highly recommend it to anyone interested in either Allen or Poe. The book is difficult to find...I got it from Ebay for a very reasonable price, with dust jacket.

Yes, it's true! Hervey Allen's "Israfel" is a must-read for any Poe-Lover. He paints a wonderful portrait of the tormented & brilliant Edgar. It's also a fantastic history of the era. Even if you've already read a dozen biographies on Poe, this is the one you won't want to miss! Trust me as a life-long and loyal fan of the Fabulous Edgar.