A stunning listening experience, featuring an extraordinary cast.
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Edgar Allan Poe Bicentennial Birthday Celebration
January 19, 2009 marks the 200th birthday of American poet, short-story writer, editor, and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe. The U.S. Post Office has issued a commemorative stamp and year-long celebrations are underway at historic sites in Baltimore, New York, Philadelphia, and Richmond, Virginia.
Best-known for his tales of the macabre, Poe has been deemed, “the father of the modern mystery,” and is credited with the invention of both the detective story (“The Murders in the Rue Morgue,” featuring Auguste C. Dupin, the first-ever fictional detective) and the detective story sequel (“The Purloined Letter”). Poe is also credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction.
Poe died at the age of 40 in October 1849 in Baltimore. Although the exact circumstances of his death itself remain a mystery, it has been attributed to the effects of alcoholism.
Adding to the mystery, an unknown visitor affectionately referred to as the "Poe Toaster" has paid homage to Poe's grave every year since 1949. Scores of devotees gather in the cold night to watch the shadowy figure leave three red roses and a half-empty bottle of cognac at the author's final resting place.
Although he lived a short and tragic life, Edgar Allan Poe remains one of the most-beloved mystery writers in history. His contributions to literature and the mystery genre cannot be underestimated.
A stunning listening experience, featuring an extraordinary cast.
