Poe is the Charles Colson professor of faith and culture at Union University in Jackson, Tenn., and is also the great, great-grandson of Edgar Allan Poe’s cousin. He’ll be speaking at the Book Arts Fair in Silver Spring on Nov. 5-7. Thursday is the 161st anniversary of the famed author’s death in Baltimore.
How did you get involved with the Book Arts Fair?
I’m the president of the Edgar Allan Poe Museum in Richmond and wrote a book on Poe that was awarded in 2009. Part of the festival is emphasizing Poe toward the direction of interest in reading. Poe is particularly popular with young people and always has been.
Why is supporting such festivals important?
For the second half of the 20th century there were so many forms of media available that did not involve reading. Culture became so much about listening. Reading is such a critical skill for success and the development of imagination. What fuels the vitality of culture is reading.
What impact has Poe’s work had on literature?
It’s just massive. We wouldn’t have the mystery story because Poe invented the mystery story with the idea of bringing a sense of justice to reading. We probably wouldn’t have science fiction without Poe’s writing. Poe profoundly affected Russian literature and music, and also the French impressionist movement. The movie was based on Poe’s theory of telling a short story. He believed a story should be received in one sitting.
What is your favorite work by Poe and why?
My favorite story is “The Cask of Amontillado” because it is such an insight on how brutish we become when we are self-absorbed. It shows that nurturing a grudge turns you into a monster. “Annabel Lee” is my favorite poem because it is such a beautiful love story. Poe was not obsessed with death, but obsessed with love and beauty. And he really believed love does triumph. – Kristen Byrne
