But Ackroyd never demonizes the melancholic man who influenced writers as diverse as Jules Verne and James Joyce, and his readable account should appeal to Poe devotees and newcomers alike. At age 40, Poe was discovered dying in a Baltimore tavern his whereabouts for the previous week remain unknown. Despite critical acclaim for his work-from 1839's “The Fall of the House of Usher” to his famous 1845 poem, “The Raven”-Poe constantly struggled with alcoholism and poverty, alienating almost everyone he met. Their relationship soured, and Poe left for a rocky academic career at the University of Virginia and a stint at West Point, and in 1836 he married his 13-year-old cousin, Virginia.

Bringing his novelist's skills to bear, Ackroyd opens with Poe's mysterious death in 1849: “Like his narratives and his fables, Poe's own story ends abruptly and inconclusively.” Born in Boston in 1809 to traveling actors and orphaned in 1811, Poe was adopted by Richmond, Va., merchant John Allan. The Man who Never Smiled - Peter Ackroyd, Poe: A Life Cut Short (Chatio and Windus, 2008) When an authors life and work have been scrutinised for over a. The item may have some signs of cosmetic wear, but is fully operational and functions as intended. Novem18:58 TEHRAN English writer Peter Ackroyd’s book Poe: A Life Cut Short has recently been published in Persian in Tehran.

The lowest-priced item that has been used or worn previously. He describes Poe’s much-written-about problems with gambling and alcohol with sympathy and insight, showing their connections to Poe’s childhood and the. ) adds to his one-man Brief Lives series this exploration of the short-and predominantly miserable-life of Edgar Allan Poe. Poe by Peter Ackroyd (Hardcover, 2008) Be the first to write a review. Ackroyd chronicles Poes difficult childhood, his bumpy academic and military careers, and his complex relationships with women, including his marriage to his. Ackroyd chronicles Poe’s difficult childhood, his bumpy academic and military careers, and his complex relationships with women, including his marriage to his thirteen-year-old cousin.