Edgar Allan Poe

The Fever Called Living (Icons)

By: Paul Collins

Narrated by: Grover Gardner

A view into the tumultuous and creative life of Edgar Allan Poe.

Today the name Edgar Allan Poe invokes a tragic genius whose mastery of horror seems inexorably tied to his tormented life. But in his own time, Poe was above all a craftsman-an editor and reviewer desperately trying to earn a living by transmuting the wild ephemera of early Victorianism into innovations in science fiction, horror, and detective literature. Indeed, the crime thriller would not exist without Poe's sleuth Dupin, the deductive genius of "Murders in the Rue Morgue" and "The Purloined Letter."

With brilliant scholarship and storytelling verve, Paul Collins delves into Poe's life and his professional world, from his stormy relationship with his rich adoptive father and interest in cryptograms to hits such as "The Raven" and flops like Eureka, his late-career crank literature outing. Edgar Allan Poe is an informative and supremely entertaining account of one of the most singular talents in American letters.

©2014 Paul Collins (P)2014 Brilliance Audio, all rights reserved.

A fine short biography

This short read is a terrific introduction to Poe's life and work. It captures the failures and successes achieved by Poe during his short, troubled 40 years, and is narrated by one of the most professional readers in the audio books world. The one problem with an introductory biography in an audio format is that without the physical copy and footnotes, you are prevented from consulting other works relied upon by the author. But with Poe this is a minor issue because the next step for the listener is not another bio but Poe's own work, prose or poetry, and these are widely available in one volume editions at any bookstore.

A troubling biography of a troubled Genius.

Collins provides us with a very carefully detailed of Poe’s evolution from an often troubled childhood to a mercurial career writing Poems and Iconic Mysteries. For any fan of his work this may be painful to read but it goes a long way to explaining the blackness of his imagination as well as the alternating fortunes of his tales.

Aside from having read The Raven, Annabel Lee and some of his Noir tales, I really didn’t know much about Poe, the Man, and this bio definitely filled in the blanks. It’s unfortunate that, like so many of our Artistic icons, his work only achieved recognition after his death and ignominious burial. I can go back now and read his stories and poems with a more appreciative eye. Four Stars. ****

Good Short Introductory Biography

Enjoyed this short book more than I expected. I especially liked the discussions of Poe's literary styles and their development, but I can understand why people would expect relatively more biographical content. The content and flow and narrator reminded me of a good TV documentary. Doesn't go deep but overall a good brief intro to Poe's life, at least for me.

Very informative and entertaining

Highly recommend the Audible version. This is a unique and special work by very talented people.

TheFever Called Living

interesting observations on a depressed genius who was underappreciated in his own time. The narration was extremely well done.