Edgar Allan Poe

[Tapkaara]

I am trying to get into the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. I've enjoyed what I've read so far, which is not much, but it is a process of discovery.

Are there fans of Poe in here?

[Dr. Dread]

Sure. You can usually find his complete works in one weighty tome.

[Florestan]

I am trying to get into the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. I've enjoyed what I've read so far, which is not much, but it is a process of discovery.

Are there fans of Poe in here?

Count me in. When in highschool I was a big fan of his prose, but now I like his poetry more. The Raven is one of my top 10 favorite English poems.

[Keemun]

I'm a long-time fan of Poe.  I haven't read all of his works, but a good selection of them.  I like both his stories and his poems.  You can find them online for free.  A good place to start is PoeStories.com. 

[bhodges]

Thanks for that link!  The collection has one of my favorite off-the-radar Poe stories called Hop-Frog, about a court jester whose grotesque physical appearance makes him a target of ridicule.  So he plans his revenge. 

A few years back, director Julie Taymor turned the story into a short film: she used puppets, which gave the beginning a childlike quality, which only seemed to make the grisly ending even more horrifying. 

--Bruce

[Keemun]

Thanks for that link!  The collection has one of my favorite off-the-radar Poe stories called Hop-Frog, about a court jester whose grotesque physical appearance makes him a target of ridicule.  So he plans his revenge. 

A few years back, director Julie Taymor turned the story into a short film: she used puppets, which gave the beginning a childlike quality, which only seemed to make the grisly ending even more horrifying. 

--Bruce

You're welcome.  I'll have to check out that story, it sounds interesting. 

[Tapkaara]

I bought two "complete" works books for cheap at Barnes and Noble recently.

The poetry is interesting. I particularly liked The Coliseum. To Science was short but profound as well.

[Hollywood]

Another Poe fan here. Back in 1970 in my high school freshman english class we had to memorize our favorite poem and then recite it in front of the class. My favorite poem then was Poe's The Raven and it has remained my fav all these years.

[Dr. Dread]

Thanks for that link!  The collection has one of my favorite off-the-radar Poe stories called Hop-Frog, about a court jester whose grotesque physical appearance makes him a target of ridicule.  So he plans his revenge. 

A few years back, director Julie Taymor turned the story into a short film: she used puppets, which gave the beginning a childlike quality, which only seemed to make the grisly ending even more horrifying. 

--Bruce

Good call, my friend. Is that film on YouTube?

[Tapkaara]

Another Poe fan here. Back in 1970 in my high school freshman english class we had to memorize our favorite poem and then recite it in front of the class. My favorite poem then was Poe's The Raven and it has remained my fav all these years.

That's a very cool image.

[bhodges]

Good call, my friend. Is that film on YouTube?

Actually, there is a brief clip (2 minutes) here, thanks for mentioning it!  I keep forgetting that almost everything shows up on YouTube.  

I forgot that Taymor's version is called Fool's Fire, and here is a pretty good review.  

Update: And here is an even better article, from a film review site called Not Coming to a Theater Near You.

--Bruce

[Drasko]

Here's something truly bizarre, even for Poe. Christopher Walken reading The Raven:

http://rapidshare.com/files/93930068/Audio_Book_-_Edgar_Allen_Poe_-_The_Raven.rar

8 MB / 128 kbps mp3

[jwinter]

Here's something truly bizarre, even for Poe. Christopher Walken reading The Raven:

http://rapidshare.com/files/93930068/Audio_Book_-_Edgar_Allen_Poe_-_The_Raven.rar

8 MB / 128 kbps mp3

See?  Now this is why the internet is awesome. 

I've loved Poe for many years.  To this day I'm still creeped out by that story about the poor fellow who was buried alive (a not-unheard-of thing in those days) -- I made the decision to be cremated when I die years ago based largely upon it, even though I know it's absurd given modern embalming, etc. 

He has a wonderful ear for language.  You can read many of his stories almost as poetry; The Fall of the House of Usher comes to mind in that regard.

[hildegard]

I am trying to get into the writings of Edgar Allan Poe. I've enjoyed what I've read so far, which is not much, but it is a process of discovery.

Are there fans of Poe in here?

An Edgar Allen Poe Commemorative stamp was issued earlier this year:



2009 Edgar Allan Poe Stamp
© United States Postal Service, All Rights Reserved

This stamp honors Edgar Allan Poe, one of the leading figures in American literary history, on the 200th anniversary of his birth. Poe is best known for his stories and poems of horror and the macabre, such as the "Raven" and "The Telltale Heart". In addition he was a noted editor and literary critic. He is considered to be the father of the modern detective novel as well. His works also touched on such diverse fields as physics, cosmology and cryptology.

[Hollywood]

That's a very cool image.

This is just one of the wonderful drawings that were printed in the 1912 book The Poetical Works of Edgar Allen Poe illustrated by Edmund Dulac. I love Dulac's artwork and you can check out more of his works here: http://blogs.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendId=140830006&blogId=478122864

[hildegard]

For Poe Fans




"A portrait of Edgar Allan Poe released Monday, Jan. 18, 2010, by via Cliff Krainik is seen. The small watercolor by A.C. Smith shows Poe sitting at desk with pen and paper in hand. His famous mustache is missing, and there's the slightest hint of a smile on his face. The portrait will be unveiled Saturday, Jan. 23, 2010, to the public in Baltimore as part of Poe's birthday celebration. Krainik, plans to sell the portrait at auction later this year. Auctioneer Wes Cowan expects it to sell for $30,000 to $50,000 _ and he says that's a conservative estimate. (AP Photo/A.C. Smith via Cliff Krainik NO SALES"

See complete article:

http://www.boston.com/news/local/massachusetts/articles/2010/01/18/portrait_of_robust_poe_to_make_public_debut/

[Scarpia]

Here's something truly bizarre, even for Poe. Christopher Walken reading The Raven:

http://rapidshare.com/files/93930068/Audio_Book_-_Edgar_Allen_Poe_-_The_Raven.rar

8 MB / 128 kbps mp3

Rapidshare says their servers are too busy for free downloads, but it will happily give me access to it for 6.99 Euros.

[Drasko]

Rapidshare says their servers are too busy for free downloads, but it will happily give me access to it for 6.99 Euros.

Rapidshare has been doing that a lot lately, I manage to get free access only in the morning these days, they're  probably trying to annoy people into buying accounts.

Anyhow, I happen to still have that file and have uploaded it to mediafire, here:
http://www.mediafire.com/?mo2zwnwumwj

[Szykneij]

This is a picture of Fort Independence on Castle Island in South Boston, where I used to enjoy lunch and a walk when I worked nearby. As a soldier, Edgar Allen Poe was stationed there and "The Cask of Amontillado" was supposedly inspired by the legend of a former soldier who bricked up his enemy alive in the bowels of the fort.

[vandermolen]

I too admire Edgar Allan Poe (or to be more precise the old Roger Corman Vincent Price movies based on Poe's work  . Miaskovsky's symphonic poem 'Silence' is based on a story by Poe.