JACKSON, Tenn. — April 20, 2009 — A new book by 51社区鈥檚 Harry Lee (Hal) Poe seeks to correct some of the misconceptions about his ancestor, Edgar Allan Poe.
鈥淗e鈥檚 generally thought of as a gloomy, dark loner, obsessed with death and that sort of thing, said Hal Poe, the Charles Colson Professor of Faith and Culture at Union. 鈥淎ctually, he was a rather cheerful, witty, friendly person who enjoyed music and singing with his friends around the piano.鈥�
In the new book, 鈥淓dgar Allan Poe: An Illustrated Companion to His Tell-Tale Stories,鈥� Poe provides some biographical information about Edgar Allan Poe, who was his great-great grandfather鈥檚 cousin. The popular picture of Edgar Allan Poe as brooding and depressed was created by one of his literary enemies, Rufus Griswold, after Poe鈥檚 death.
Though scholars have long since discredited Griswold and the fabrications he created about Poe鈥檚 life, Hal Poe said such scholarship seldom makes its way to the public.
鈥淪o essentially, what this book is doing is popularizing the 20th century scholarship about Poe,鈥� Hal Poe said.
In the book, Hal Poe also discusses some of Edgar Allan Poe鈥檚 stories, and traces his spiritual development. Hal Poe said Edgar Allan Poe became a Christian before his death.
鈥淚t鈥檚 a story of Poe鈥檚 spiritual experience and how he came to believe in the God who created the universe, and how he came to go forward at a revival meeting five weeks before he died,鈥� Hal Poe said. 鈥淭he book discusses all of his stories in light of the spiritual questions he was asking.鈥�
The book includes dozens of images and removable memorabilia, including a portion of Edgar Allan Poe鈥檚 handwritten manuscript for the poem, 鈥淎 Dream Within a Dream,鈥� contentious letters he exchanged with his foster father, John Allan, and his controversial obituary as it appeared in the New York Daily Tribune.
Published by Metro Books and available for purchase at Barnes and Noble, the book was commissioned by Barnes and Noble for the bicentennial of Poe鈥檚 birth in 1809.
Hal Poe will be the guest speaker at the Union Auxiliary鈥檚 annual spring luncheon April 21. He will talk about his new book and about the family life of Edgar Allan Poe. The event begins at noon in the Carl Grant Events Center. Tickets are $12.