Includes bibliographical references and index

Fall from grace -- Battle of wills -- West Point -- "Muddy" and Virginia -- Hatchet man -- Washington follies -- Broadway journal -- "Lord help my poor soul."

Edgar Allan Poe's life story is so full of dramatic twists and turns it seems the master of macabre could have penned it himself. Schoell provides a look at a complicated individual who, because of his own despondency and irresponsibility, was constantly detoured from the path to success. Left an orphan at a young age, Poe was adopted by John Allan, a man who, despite his own wealth, expected his son to live life with financial judiciousness. Poe always seemed to have a sense of entitlement and was never happy. Schoell opines as to the causes of these problems, as if trying to excuse this literary genius from the travails of situations perpetuated by his own behavior. The book also mentions Poe s work as a reviewer (which was unsuccessful due to his bluntness and insensitivity to the creativity of others); the fact that he wrote a story that has been pointed to as the beginning of modern science fiction and that influenced Jules Verne; and the poetry that brought him some degree of fame during his lifetime. Schoell also describes how Poe, always in want of money, wrote what he thought would sell best gothic stories. Black-and-white photos and portraits of the writer and his contemporaries appear throughout. A list of major works and source notes are included. This is not just the usual time-line-led biography, but rather a deeper look into Poe s life and personality as reflected in his work.