A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe

I really enjoyed this book. I had read some of Poe’s more famous stuff as a kid but hadn’t really thought much about him or his literary output since. So when I read a glowing review of this book I figured I’d give it a shot. Glad I did. It took me longer to get through these 300 odds pages then it should have because with almost every mention of a poem or short story that was worth reading I’d close my kindle and seek it out. What I discovered is almost all of Poe’s work is on the internet. I also discovered how difficult some of his short stories are to read (for me anyway). He wrote with that overly descriptive style they used back then, spending pages to describe a house or someone’s appearance before bothering to get on with the action. I found his poems much more readable and enjoyable. And as Dawidziak points out often in the book, thinking of Poe as just a horror writer diminishes him. He could be funny and romantic too. He’s famous for the scary stuff but that’s only part of his oeuvre.Ultimately there is no resolution to what killed Poe at such a young age. But as Dawidziak also points out , perhaps that’s for the best since it only adds another layer of mystery to his legend.

In this revelatory biography, Mark Dawidziak honors the Gothic nature of Poe's work, yet sweeps open the curtains to throw full light upon this masterful poet and shaper of American literature. He also discusses the mystery surrounding Edgar Allan Poe's death. In fact, he starts with Poe's death and then recreates his life. It seems everything that we thought we knew about Poe was incorrect, which is proved through photographs, extensive research, and interviews. A very fascinating read!

Nothing really new here but it is a well written popular introduction to the enigma that was/is E.A. Poe.

Well written memorialization of Edgar Allen Poe s life and death. Maybe his death was a mystery that can’t be solved but learning more about his life was a joy

Bibliography, notes and sources and index were all informative and easy to use. Photos illustrated people but not many places in the book. I found that the author did not make his case about what may have happened to Poe and why in a clear and organized fashion but wandered from bits of information to other bits of information. Although the bits of information were interesting, I kept putting the book down and found it rather hard to finish. I will keep it as reference material but do not plan on rereading it from cover to cover any time soon.

This book claims to offer new insight into Poe's death which was considered to be very mysterious at the time, in part because of an unreliable medical presence at Poe's final demise. The author does a decent job at discrediting other theories of Poe's death and settles on one that I thought was long the accepted view. The book alternates between chapters set in Poe's final days and a general biography of his life, which feels pretty much like filler to get the work up to book length. I don't know much about Poe, but I didn't learn much, if anything from this. And it was tough to follow with chapters alternating between Poe's life and death scene.

Readers, like myself, who think they know Poe because they had read all of his famous short stories and poems in their youths, saw his morose face in all of the card games of Authors they played, and enjoyed the Vincent Price/Wes Craven movies which were made must read this new biography. For example, I never knew he was equally famous as a book reviewer and that he married his 13-year-old cousin. The author's speculation on his mysterious demise seems well reasoned and his short, but tragic life is worth documenting again. Those numerous individuals who have already delved deeply into his life and career may not find any new revelations, but I certainly did. An excellent collection of black and white photos is an additional bonus.

I bought this book for my nephew who has always been fascinated by Poe. He’s in his 20’s and I wanted him to appreciate the value of a “real book” as a memorable gift.

Para os que admiram a literatura de Edgar Allan Poe e têm interesse sobre sua biografia pouco conhecida, este livro consegue desvendar muito do autor que morreu tão misteriosamente quanto os seus contos mais enigmáticos.

This book is worth reading for any Edgar Allen Poe fan. Overall the book has lots of information about Edgar Allan Poe and it is well researched. It has so much information that at times it can get slow to read. Each chapter alternates between timelines from his early life to the last few weeks which at times made it a bit confusing. I am glad that I read this book as I did learn a lot about the life of Edgar Allen Poe.