What do You think about The Collected Tales And Poems Of Edgar Allan Poe (1992)?
Poe is my favorite author of his era, and one of my favorites of all time. He obviously had a spark of genius in him (the poetry he wrote in his teens is better than what many so-called poets produce in their prime), but what greatness he achieved was, by all accounts, the result of considerable effort and struggle.On balance I liked the poetry a bit more than the stories, though he created some excellent examples of each.The only negative thing I can say about it is that if you've only read a handful of Poe's most famous works, you may be a little disappointed that the rest of his oeuvre often fails to reach the same level of greatness. Not to say that it's mediocre...almost everything he wrote, in my opinion, is at least "good," with the notable exceptions of his only novel (The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym) and his unfinished play (Politian). And even his lesser achievements are imbued with a sense of imagination that few other authors can achieve.Highly recommended for fans of literary fiction and poetry, as well as fans of the horror/macabre, mystery, science fiction, and dark fantasy genres. Admittedly, some will prefer "Best of Poe" collections, rather than the complete works.
—Scott
Edgar Allan Poe is one of my favorite authors. I love the complex diction and syntax of his writing style. And most of all I love the dark nature of his subject matter. For some reason I always find myself drawn to literature that is a little more heavy and dark. I find that I am drawn to stories that make me think; I want to feel something, be moved by what I am reading, and that isn't something you typically find in happy literature. And when it comes to dark literature, Poe fits the bill perfectly. He had a tough life in which pretty much every woman he was ever close to died, and the men in his life had very few, if any, redeeming qualities. So it is no wonder that his writing is dark and seemingly always focused on death. It really is a shame that he could not be recognized in his own lifetime as the literary genius that he was.
—Leslie
Poe (1809-1849) was a seriously brilliant author. In the last few decades a number of television shows (such as CSI) and book series (by authors Patricia Cornwell, Jefferson Bass, etal) which focus on the tiniest of clues found in DNA and the decomposition patterns of a deceased body in order to solve a crime have fascinated legions of fans. Poe was way ahead of the game and it is so impressive that he knew of these issues. The crimes are serious and even shocking, but not described especially gruesomely as some novels do. Systematically the physical clues in the crime as well as the psychological motivations are examined analytically, each leading the crime solver closer to the true nature of the misdeed. Original crimes and intelligent atmospheric writing are a winning combination, establishing Poe as an early master of the horror genre. -GDPlace a hold on The Collected Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe.Another important author in the horror genre is H.P. Lovecraft. Read atmospheric tales in The Best of H.P. Lovecraft.
—Oswego Public Library District
