Nevermore!

The well dressed fellow above is number 147 on our list, and his name is Edgar Allan Poe, born this day 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. He was orphaned shortly after his birth as his mother died when he was young, and his father abandoned the family. He was taken in by the Allan family of Richmond, but they never formally adopted him. He attended the University of Virginia for one semester, but was forced to leave for lack of money. He had a messy personal life that you can read all about on your own. He wrote some cracking good yarns, and I am still able to quote "The Cask of Amontillado" first few lines from memory. Which, given how old I am, and since I last read it when I was about 15 is no mean feat. He invented the detective story with his "The Murders in Rue Morgue." Though it was Gothic horror stories for which he remains famous, read some of his works some late night before you go to bed, and see if you have a nice night's sleep. "The Raven" is one of my favourite poems, and the Simpsons did a good job using it in one of their Halloween episodes. Poe is particularly well thought of in France, partly because of another hero of mine Charles Baudelaire's translation of his works. His death under the strange circumstances has been the point of serious debate since it happened. For years and years there was a man called the "Poe Toaster" who would, on Poe's birthday, toast his grave site with cognac, and leave three roses on the grave. However, this year the Toaster, for reasons unknown, failed to show up at Poe's grave. So, for writing such stories as "The Fall of the House of Usher," "The Tell-Tale Heart", and so many others, Edgar Allan Poe (January 19th, 1809- October 7th, 1849, at the age of 40), you are my (second) hero of the day.