True! – nervous – very, very dreadfully nervous I had been and am; but why will you say that I am mad? The disease had sharpened my senses – not destroyed – not dulled them. Above all was the sense of hearing acute. I heard all things in the heaven and in the earth. I heard many things in hell. How, then, am I mad? Hearken! and observe how healthily – how calmly I can tell you the whole story.-- Edgar Allan Poe, opening of The Tell-Tale Heart --
Not enough people are reading Poe.
One of the people, is me.
Someone, [my spooky, spooky friend], reminded me of this the other night.
Have a great Friday!
One of the best childhood memories I have is of my late father reading Poe to me. Yes...Poe...to a 7 year old. I was obsessed with books, even then, and any time my dad picked up a book, I wanted him to read it out loud to me. Poe was where we started. I may have been the youngest to ever hear The Tell-Tale Heart or The Pit and the Pendulum. That was my favorite one! Even now, 15 years after he died, any time I see a reference to Poe, I smile. :-)
ReplyDeleteThat is awesome, Amanda!
ReplyDeleteI myself am a bit Poe-deficient, truth be known. In fact, the extent of my knowledge of his work is based primarily on Alan Parsons's 1976 album, "Tales of Mystery And Imagination"... I listen to it all the time. It's one of my favorites. He basically has written songs, as interpretations of many of the stories of Poe. Vincent Price does a cameo on it. You would love it. If you are a Poe-aficianado, oh yes, you would love this ancient Alan Parsons Project CD.
All the best to you.
-- Cip
Since you're Poe fans, each in your own way, Amanda and cipriano, have you heard about the fellow who recently said that he is the cloaked mystery figure who has left cognac and roses on Poe's grave for the past 50-60 years? Yes, the legend of the Poe Toaster, as the figure is called, began many and many a year ago in a kingdom by the sea...also known as Baltimore.
ReplyDeleteLast I heard, the gentleman's claim was being called into question by Poe scholars, but even if he isn't the one, I think it's rather nice that he would like to be!
He's 92.
What I find most remarkable about the tradition is that the figure was allowed to remain a mystery by the press and celebrity seekers.
Many people through the years witnessed the ritual. But no one followed him out of the cemetery - not even once upon a midnight dreary - on a high speed chase, trying to snap his picture and pull his cloak away from his face.
As for what happened to the bottles of cognac...I know you are wondering, cipriano...I know not.