Today, Edgar Allan Poe is two hundred years young. And as I’ve mentioned elsewhere, I have a huge affinity for Mr. Poe. He was hanging out with me before I discovered Lovecraft or Stephen King or any other horror author. And the only trouble with trying to put something together with media about Poe is that we’ve already done huge amounts of related material, what with all the Halloween goodness we have going on around here.
So here’s a list of some of my favorite Poe bits we’ve posted, so you can celebrate with us.
- Baltimore’s Nevermore 2009 Celebration – Where they’ve been having stuff all weekend. Wish like hell I was there, guys.
- Stan Lee reads “The Raven”
- The story of the bird that inspired “The Raven”
- Christopher Walken reads “The Raven”
- Vincent Price reads “The Raven”
- James Mason reads “The Tell-Tale Heart”
And here’s what others are doing: are you doing something? Ping me or leave a comment and let’s have a big party. Unless you’re posting one of those vids that has Poe’s still image with a moving mouth. Don’t turn the dude into a Muppet. Show some respect.
- The New York Times posts a PDF on what they did for his birthday a hundred years back.
- Here’s the Poe Bicentennial Blog.
- Ken Hite’s tribute is FANtastic.
- Forbidden Planet points out that the BBC did a radio adaptation of “The Gold Bug”
- Social Developments mentions the Poe stamp is available here in the U.S. today.
- The Horrors Of It All are posting their own Poe celebration, with great scans of vintage Poe comic works.
- Grandma’s Graphics has a bunch of Harry Clarke illos from Tales of Mystery and Imagination; pointed out by Drawn
Update: Cult Reviews has posted two films from 1928 based on “House of Usher”. Well played!
If you’re interested in Poe AND avant-garde silent films, you’ll love this movie on my site:
http://www.cultreviews.com/full-length-movies/the-fall-of-the-house-of-usher/
Excellent. Added!
Poe’s beautiful “A Dream within a Dream” is the basis for one of my all-time fav songs, by ’80s German synth-pop group Propaganda:
http://ca.youtube.com/watch?v=SS86mjP4NYY
also, BBC Radio 7 is having an Edgar Allan Poe Celebration all this week… it started on Saturday and all the programs are available via streaming for one week after its first airing (note the times on the schedule are GMT, or EST +5 hours)
Those YouTube videos with Poe manipulated to move his mouth are strange – not sure if they’re disrespectful, but certainly unsettling. Anyway, great posts on Poe! So many Poe celebrations throughout January, I can only hope the momentum for my number one guy stays strong throughout 2009!
Here is the “Edgar Allan Poe” essay written by Hanns Heinz Ewers and translated by me!
http://anarchistworld.com/hannsheinzewers/book/poe.htm