Virtual Book Talk with Richard Kopley | Edgar Allan Poe: A Life

Join us for a free virtual book talk with author Richard Kopley on his new biography, “Edgar Allan Poe: A Life,” the most comprehensive critical biography of Poe yet produced, exploring his fascinating life, his extraordinary work and the vital relationship between the two. In this talk, Kopley will highlight stories from Poe’s boyhood in Richmond.

Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre found in such works as “The Raven,” “Annabel Lee” and “The Tell-Tale Heart,” this legendary American author continues to intrigue and enthrall his devoted readers. Written by one of the world’s leading Poe experts, this biography is a rich and rewarding study for the general reader as well as for the seasoned scholar. Kopley combines a biographical narrative of Poe’s enduring challenges — including his difficult foster father, his personal losses, his great struggles with depression and alcoholism and the poverty that dogged his existence — with close readings of his work that focus not only on plot, character and theme but also on language, allusion and structure in a way that enhances our understanding of both. This volume also relates unknown stories of Poe culled from privately held letters unavailable to previous biographers, presenting a range of groundbreaking archival discoveries that illuminate the man and his oeuvre in ways never before possible.

Richard Kopley is distinguished professor emeritus of English at Penn State DuBois, the author and editor of numerous books on Poe and American literature and the recipient of the 2018 Lifetime Achievement and Service Award from the Poe Studies Association.

This is a free event, but registration is required. For more information, contact education@lva.virginia.gov