Interview with Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe, the inventor of the detective story and master of the macabre, discusses his childhood, his difficult relationship with his adopted family, his time in college and the military, and his struggles as a writer. He opens up about the tragic deaths of his loved ones and how they influenced his writing. Despite his hardships, Poe fought for higher wages for writers and international copyright laws. He considers his greatest literary success to be his narrative poem, The Raven. The interview concludes with well-wishes for Poe's future and a preview of the next episode featuring William Shakespeare. Welcome to episode three of Meet the Author with your host, Jay Pastore. Today, I have the pleasure of sitting down with the inventor of the detective story and the master of the macabre, Mr. Edgar Allan Poe. Mr. Poe, welcome to the show. Thank you for having me and please call me Edgar. Okay then, Edgar. Before we talk about the creepy stories and the poems you are so famous for, let's talk about your childhood. What was mom and dad like? Both my mother, Elizabeth, and my father, David, were traveling actors, so I don't remember much about them. My father was never around and my poor mother died of the dreadful tuberculosis before I was three years old. After that, I was taken in by a wealthy merchant named John Allen and his wife, Frances. Unfortunately, it meant that I would be separated from my brother, William, and sister, Rosalie. If I'm correct, the Allens, they lived in Richmond, Virginia, a long way from Baltimore where you were born. How was life at the Allen home? Were you treated as one of their own? Growing up in their home was a challenge. I formed an immediate bond with Frances and she was almost like a mother to me. My relationship with John was always tumultuous as he wanted me to follow in his footsteps and become a tobacco merchant, which I despised. I had an early affinity for writing as I was influenced greatly by the literature of Lord Byron and I aspired to be a poet. John would always get mad at me when I would write poems on the backs of his old business papers. But he sent you to the University of Virginia. He must not have been that bad of a guy. How was college life for you? I excelled in all my classes there, but I got into a bit of trouble. You see, John didn't give me enough money to cover my expenses, so I became an avid gambler to try to cover the costs, but I fell into considerable debt. Although he was wealthy, John was a bit miserly, to say the least. I see. Were you able to finish school? No. I returned home to Richmond only to find out that my fiancée, Sarah Almira Royster, had become engaged to someone else. It broke my heart. I decided to leave everything and move to Boston. Hey, that's wicked cool! Great sports town! What did you do in Beantown, Ed? Do you like sports? I was considered a very strong athlete, but concentrated mainly on my writing. I was able to publish my first book of poems entitled Tamerlane, but it received no attention. I decided instead to join the U.S. Army to fend off my gambling addiction and massive debt. I would have never taken you for a military man. How was that experience for you? I attained the highest rank open to me, Sergeant Major for Artillery, but then I quit the Army to pursue an appointment to the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. John Allen helped me get in, but I got expelled on purpose to spite him. West Point? That's a highly regarded academy. Why would you get expelled on purpose? You see, like my own mother, Frances Allen also died of tuberculosis. By the time I returned to Richmond to see her, she had already passed away. While she was dying, John was having affairs with other women, and I discovered soon after that he fathered a child with one of his mistresses. Being that he pulled some strings to get me into West Point, I thought I would damage his reputation by getting kicked out for gross neglect of duty and disobedience of orders. Man, Edgar, what did you do? I'd rather not say on air, as a lot of things are really embarrassing. Let's just say it involved a lot of alcohol and a lack of clothes. Needless to say, he was really unhappy with me and ended all future communication. John was a parting shot from this world. He left all his money to his illegitimate child, who he never met, and nothing to me. I can't imagine how that must have felt. So after leaving West Point and severing ties with John, where did you go? What was the next step for you? I struggled with poverty for a while. I sought work as a full-time writer in cities like New York and Richmond, Philadelphia and Baltimore. It was there. I got a break when one of my short stories won a contest. It landed me an editorial position with the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. I quickly developed a reputation as a cutthroat critic. I earned the nickname, Tomahawk Man, and made a few enemies. Unfortunately, my combative personality put a strain on my relationship with the magazine, and I was forced to leave. I worked for other journals, but with the same results. It seems you've experienced a lot of chaos in your young life. Was there ever a time that brought you peace, solace, and happiness? Yes. I reconnected with family in Baltimore with my Aunt Marie Clem and her daughter, my cousin, Virginia. I was devoted to them both and worked hard to provide for them. Virginia became a literary inspiration for many of my poems, and she quickly became a love interest of mine. We were married when I was twenty-seven. That brought me happiness. My thirteen-year-old cousin was everything to me. Wait, what? You married your thirteen-year-old cousin, bro? And you were twenty-seven? Ed, I don't mean to judge you, but that's a bit weird, don't you think? But you say it brought you happiness? Yes, but not for long. When she turned twenty-four, she, too, died of tuberculosis. It was the same age as my mother and my brother when they both died of the same disease. It really was a painful time for me. I never really recovered from this tragedy. I continued to work, but struggled financially and suffered poor health. Let me wrap my head around this. You were orphaned at three. Your father abandoned you. Your mother, your adopted mother, your brother, and your wife all died of tuberculosis. You were betrayed by your fiancée, disowned by another father, quit the army, expelled from school, suffered from poverty, dealt with gambling addictions and massive debts, lost several jobs. My man, I'm so sorry for what you've gone through. It's no wonder that your famous short stories all revolve around death and revenge and murder, and your poems have a mood of sadness and a tone of despondency. Bro, you need a hug. Before we go, could you tell the audience what would you consider your greatest achievement in your career? As mentioned before, I struggled financially for most of my life, doing what I love and pursuing my passion. I knew there would be many more writers to come after me, and I did not want them to suffer like I did. I had to do something about it. During my career, I became an advocate for higher wages for writers and successfully fought for international copyright laws so that writers could protect their work from plagiarists. This is among my greatest achievements. That is rather admirable of you. Authors from all over the world owe you a debt of gratitude. What about a literary work? What would you say your greatest literary success was? That's like asking me to choose my favorite child. Good thing I never had children. But if I were to choose one, it would have to be my narrative poem, The Raven. It made me a literary sensation, a household name. It helped me to express the deep grief I was feeling as I was watching my poor wife die. I have read much of the literature you've written and enjoyed it all, my favorite short story being The Cask of Amontillado, and of course, I love The Raven. I look forward to reading what your hand and mind produces next. Well, I must say, it truly was an honor and pleasure talking with you, Mr. Poe. I pray you find a way to avoid your demons and live long and prosperous. Thank you for your time today, and take care of yourself, Edgar. I look forward to talking with you again soon. This concludes today's episode of Meet the Author. Join me next week when I sit down with William Shakespeare, an up-and-coming playwright from England, where we'll discuss his latest work about two young lovers who fall in love instantly but kill themselves because their parents ate each other. Kind of sounds like a Taylor Swift song I heard once. Or a rom-com I watched last week. Anyway, this is Jay Pastore with Meet the Author. See you next week.