Edgar Allan Poe
Monday, January 19, 2009
Edgar Allan Poe Bicentennial
Poe born Jan 19, 1809 - died Oct 7, 1849.
On January 16, 2009 the United States Postal Service issued a "Poe Bicentennial" stamp to commemorate the American writer. Issued from the Library of Virginia in Richmond, VA, the stamp artwork portrait is by Michael Deas.
I attended the event which included lectures by Poe scholars and then the stamp issue which was mobbed politely by stamp collectors wanting the 'first day of issue' post marks, which is a valued commodity among Philatelic collectors of stamps.
After the official event ended, the Poe scholars signed autographs, and there were people dressed as Poe characters (these seemed to be folks from the Poe Museum in downtown Richmond). As it was held in Richmond (where Poe spent much of his life) it seemed like the appropriate city for the event commemorating him
Poe in Boston
Poe's relationship to his native city had been one of less that affection. As with many events commemorating Poe' bicentennial, maybe the mutual war of words through history is 'officially' coming to an end. This from the Boston.com online:
Born in Boston 200 years ago, Poe long had been overlooked as a native son because of his rancorous relationship with the city and its writers. But after an aggressive campaign by a devoted band of Poe enthusiasts, city officials agreed to pay tribute to the "master of the macabre" by renaming the corner of Boylston and Charles streets, across from Boston Common.
"Together again, at last," exclaimed Paul Lewis, a Poe scholar at Boston College who led the charge to honor the 19th-century author.
At the dedication ceremony, under sunny skies that seemed ill-suited for a tribute to the famously morbid writer, Lewis said the square would "celebrate the city's connection to Poe." He urged those who might harbor bitterness over Poe's hostility toward the city he derided as a provincial "Frogpondium" to let bygones be bygones.
"To these unforgiving folk I say: 'Wow, you really, really know how to hold a grudge,' " he quipped.
