January 19, 1809, the father of the modern mystery was born in Boston. 200 years have passed, and still the accolades roll in. Edgar Allen Poe waxed poetically about the Raven, The Masque Of The Red Death, The Bells, The Telltale Heart, and The Murders In The Rue Morgue.
Yesterday I had the opportunity to visit the Crosley ( same guy who built the radios, cars, refrigerators and owned the Reds) Mansion in Sarasota and see what was billed as Edgar Allen Poe At The Crosley. The list of literary giants that were assembled was astounding, and they all recited ( from memory) one of Poe’s stories. Of course, Poe was there. He opened with The Bells…a powerful poem about the power of bells. But other authors ( all in perfect character) followed. Sarah Bernhardt, George Sand, Alexander Dumas and Auguste Dupin all recited their favorite Poe stories, along with a little color and information about their lives.
Poe closed with The Raven. I’m certain that any reading Poe might have done in his lifetime paled in comparison to actor Tom Laitenan’s interpretation. The entire afternoon was a perfect way to celebrate the brilliant writer’s life.
If you haven’t read Poe in awhile, I suggest you buy a book of his works, or visit your library. The word choices, the magnificent rhymes and the flow of his poetry will leave you breathless. Imagery at it’s finest.
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How much of The House WLW Built did you get to see? Did you see Crosley’s office with the weather vane you can read from the inside?
by Steve
on January 19th, 2009 at 5:34 am
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Happy birthday, Edgar! Isn’t this the day the Poe Toaster visits his grave in Baltimore? I love the mystery of that whole thing, a cloaked person who arrives before sunrise to toast the Master. Too cool!
And my late apologies for being out of the loop all last week. I was away with my brainstorming group and didn’t have quick access to a computer. Looks like you all got on well without me, but I missed checking in.
by Casey
on January 19th, 2009 at 8:19 am
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Steve;
We were given a tour of the house. While it’s not quite the Biltmore, or in my mind, Hemmingway’s Key West home, it was magnificent. Right on the bay. We watched Dolphins jumping just a few yards out.
by Don
on January 19th, 2009 at 9:32 am
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Pretty neat….pretty cool.
Zz
by dhl
on January 20th, 2009 at 9:45 am
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Edgar Poe. I used to work at a bookstore in Baltimore and we volunteered to keep his burial area clean. Swept the leaves off of it, shoveled the snow etc.
by Orroz
on January 20th, 2009 at 10:54 pm
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Orroz, I thought for sure you were going to say you were once Edgar’s private secretary!
by Casey
on January 21st, 2009 at 8:30 am
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You’re invited…
For any of you in the Cleveland area, I’m doing a signing tonight (Thursday, 1/22) at Something Different Art Gallery, 1899 W. 25th Street, from 5-8 pm. This is the first signing I’m doing for “Night of the Loving Dead,” and in keeping with the book’s theme of homelessness, I’m asking everyone to bring something warm (hat, gloves, scarf) that will then be donated to the West Side Catholic Center.
See you there!
by Casey
on January 22nd, 2009 at 8:47 am
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Thanks to everyone who showed up at last night’s signing at Something Different Art Gallery. We had a great time!
I’m doing another signing tomorrow (1/24) from 2-4 at
Border’s
3737 West Market
Fairlawn, Ohio
Come on by, say hello, and pick up a copy of “Night of the Loving Dead.” (A plug for another chain…Loving Dead’s been on the B&N top ten list of mysteries ever since it came out–hurray!)
by Casey
on January 23rd, 2009 at 11:28 am
