Do we really need a new biography of Edgar Allan Poe, a man who has been continually talked about since his death nearly two centuries ago? It turns out—yes we do! There’s still plenty more to say about the father of modern horror. (And mystery. And true crime.) For one thing, we still don’t know exactly what caused Poe’s inexplicable death and the preceding three days of delirium in the city of Baltimore in 1849. For another, Poe’s image has loomed so large in pop culture that even what we can know about him has been largely obscured by stereotype, slander, and exaggeration. Mark Dawidziak sets out to shed some light on Poe’s shadowed life in his new biography, A Mystery of Mysteries: The Death and Life of Edgar Allan Poe, which came out back in February.
In an unusual approach for a biography, A Mystery of Mysteries begins with Poe’s death. The opening chapter sets the tone for the rest of the book by laying out some of the basic facts of the case and discussing the significant impact of Poe’s death on the rest of his legacy. Quoting from a myriad of experts that range from fellow biographers to museum directors and horror writers, this introduction seeks to explain just how the image of Poe in the popular imagination has gotten so muddled over the years. From there, the succeeding chapters alternate between a close examination of the months leading up to Poe’s death and a chronological account of his life. This dual timeline adds a sort of tension not usually found in biographies, and while this technique occasionally results in some repetition of information I found it to be a particularly clever way to approach Edgar Allan Poe’s inexplicable demise through the broader lens of his life.
Though the book is organized around answering the lingering questions surrounding Poe’s death, its main purpose is actually to provide readers with a more well-rounded understanding of this oft-maligned author’s life. Throughout the book, Dawidziak seeks to debunk the image of Poe as just a sad, sickly horror author. He accomplishes this by sharing anecdotes that showcase Poe’s humor and playful disposition—like the comedic poems he wrote for his classmates or the time he laughed himself silly playing leapfrog on the front lawn—and highlighting his reputation as a robust athlete during the early years of his adulthood. Dawidziak also emphasizes the fact that Poe was celebrated primarily as a literary critic during his own lifetime and wrote in many other genres besides horror. The book does an excellent job of trying to change the perception of Poe from a caricature to a fully realized and complicated human being.
After providing such a thorough exploration of Poe’s life, the book comes back around full circle to his death. The final chapters lay out nearly a dozen different theories as to how he died, dismissing some of them out of hand and spending more time to carefully consider or debunk others. There were even a few theories in there I had never heard of before! Dawidziak draws extensively on the findings of two different experiments performed on strands of Poe’s hair to rule out several causes of death, quoting from forensic scientists about the presence or absence of various chemicals or heavy metals. But if you’re looking for this mystery to finally be solved once and for all, this book makes no claim to do so. Indeed, Dawidziak’s conclusion comes back around to the point he makes in the opening chapters: that the exact cause of Poe’s death is ultimately unknowable and will remain a mystery. However, Dawidziak does lean toward a couple of pet theories and presents them convincingly to the reader. My opinion has certainly been swayed after finishing this book!
Whether you’re a hardcore Poe fan or someone who only has the loosest idea of him from pop culture and a handful of his most famous works, A Mystery of Mysteries has something new to offer everyone. I particularly recommend it to those who don’t often find themselves reading nonfiction, as the nontraditional structure and the focus on “solving” the mystery of Poe’s death keep it compelling and give it a pace more like fiction. You can find A Mystery of Mysteries on shelves now at your favorite local retailer. Or buy it online and support The Gothic Library in the process using this Bookshop.org affiliate link. If you’ve read it, comment below to let me know your thoughts!