Edgar Allan Poe

A Life

Richard Kopley

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English

University of Virginia Press
18 March 2025

Biography; Biography: literary

A ground-breaking exploration of one of America's most iconic and misunderstood authors

Edgar Allan Poe: A Life is the most comprehensive critical biography of Poe yet produced, exploring his fascinating life, his extraordinary work, and the vital relationship between the two. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre found in such works as The Raven, Annabel Lee, and The Tell-Tale Heart, this legendary American author continues to intrigue and enthral his devoted readers. Written by one of the world's leading Poe experts, this biography is a rich and rewarding study for the general reader as well as for the seasoned scholar. Richard Kopley combines a biographical narrative of Poe's enduring challenges—including his difficult foster father, his personal losses, his great struggles with depression and alcoholism, and the poverty that dogged his existence—with close readings of his work that focus not only on plot, character, and theme but also on language, allusion, and structure in a way that enhances our understanding of both. While incorporating past Poe scholarship, this volume also relates unknown stories of Poe culled from privately held letters unavailable to previous biographers, presenting a range of ground-breaking archival discoveries that illuminates the man and his oeuvre in ways never before possible.

By: Richard Kopley
Imprint: University of Virginia Press
Country of Publication: United States
Dimensions: Height: 235mm, Width: 156mm, Spine: 25mm
ISBN: 9780813952239
ISBN 10: 0813952239
Pages: 608
Publication Date: 18 March 2025
Audience: Professional and scholarly , Undergraduate
Format: Hardback
Publisher's Status: Active

Richard Kopley is Distinguished Professor of English Emeritus at Penn State DuBois, the author and editor of numerous books on Poe and American literature, and recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement & Service Award from the Poe Studies Association.

Reviews for Edgar Allan Poe: A Life

[A] magisterial critical biography. . . . Kopley excels at elucidating how Poe's life influenced his work. . . . Blending rich literary analysis with new insights into Poe's character, this proves there's still plenty left to say about the master of the macabre.-- ""Publishers Weekly (starred review)"" (1/27/2025 12:00:00 AM) Kopley brings authoritative insight to a critical biography of Edgar Allan Poe (1809-49) that can well be called definitive. . . . A richly detailed, sympathetic portrait.-- ""Kirkus Reviews (starred review)"" (12/28/2024 12:00:00 AM)