Mystery and Terror

Children's Literature

Draped in the mysteries of his life and works, Edgar Allan Poe has for generations been an enigmatic figure. Here is a clearer picture of Poe's life and psyche. Abandoned at six months by his father and orphaned before he was two, Edgar was taken in by the Allan family of Virginia. The battle of wills between John Allan, the man who would never adopt him, and Edgar, who would never conform to a bourgeois career, left its mark upon the sensitive writer. Edgar's search for a family, his struggles for financial stability, and the early death of key women in his life added to his torment. He was drawn to the abnormal psyche and to alcohol which caused him to self-destruct. In spite of these problems—or perhaps because of them—in a short forty years Poe turned out an impressive amount of writings. Caustic reviews made him infamous in his day, but his literary criticism, poems, short stories, and novellas made him famous after death. His works launched a new kind of gothic horror, the science fiction genre, and the mystery story. A young adult should find Poe's antagonistic and romantic nature of special interest but may also come to recognize the discipline that underpinned his writing success. A number of photos and portraits of Poe, his friends, and his adversaries are included. Lists of Poe's major works, timeline of his life, sources, bibliography, and index are included. 2004, Morgan Reynolds Publishing, Ages 12 to 18.
—Carol Raker Collins, Ph.D.

School Library Journal

Gr 9 Up-Schoell provides a look at a complicated individual who, because of his own despondency and irresponsibility, was constantly detoured from the path to success. Left an orphan at a young age, Poe was adopted by John Allan, a man who, despite his own wealth, expected his son to live life with financial judiciousness. Poe always seemed to have a sense of entitlement and was never happy. Schoell opines as to the causes of these problems, as if trying to excuse this literary genius from the travails of situations perpetuated by his own behavior. The book also mentions Poe's work as a reviewer (which was unsuccessful due to his bluntness and insensitivity to the creativity of others); the fact that he wrote a story that has "been pointed to as the beginning of modern science fiction" and that influenced Jules Verne; and the poetry that brought him some degree of fame during his lifetime. Schoell also describes how Poe, always in want of money, wrote what he thought would sell best-gothic stories. Black-and-white photos and portraits of the writer and his contemporaries appear throughout. A list of major works and source notes are included. This is not just the usual time-line-led biography, but rather a deeper look into Poe's life and personality as reflected in his work.-Marilyn Fairbanks, Azure IRC, Brockton High School, MA Copyright 2004 Reed Business Information.