The Front Office

Edgar Allan Poe. Where do you even start?

How about with the massive Anthology collection of his I bought from Barnes & Noble about 15 years ago. Or maybe the smaller collection of works I bought at the Cracker Barrel store a few weeks back?

Both have been opened. Some stories and poems have been read. But we’re staring at single digits of the greater collection.

If you were to ask me to list some of my favorite authors, I would proudly include Poe’s name. But it’s almost as if I love the idea of Poe more than I love his actual work. Not that I dislike the work. Not a huge poem guy, admittedly, but his are enjoyable. The short stories have been fantastic. At least those that I’ve read.

Side note: in my youth I was afforded the chance to visit his gravesite in Baltimore in late October. That’s an experience that I’ve carried with me since and surely impacts my present day affections.

Back to the point at hand, I find this situation interesting. My love of this literary giant is based largely on cultural credit. There’s a very distinct Poe vibe that just melds with my inner soul. The candlelit drafty room. Autumn leaves swirling. Floorboards creaking. Crisp October nights. Crows crowing. I live for that.

While interesting, it’s a problem. Like the teenager who buys the vintage Rolling Stones t-shirt and greatest hits album to claim they’re their favorite band, I feel like a phony. Not that I go around town striking up conversations about Poe, or have a fake raven I stapled to my shoulder. But I can see what’s in my heart.

So I made a promise to myself that this autumn, we’re going to change that.

I’m going to crack open the anthology (or at least the curated collection of works), and take my time to actually read them. Even those few I’m very familiar with. Let’s find out if the reality of Poe matches the shadow he’s cast over my imagination for decades.

And if you’re into this sort of thing, after I read a poem or story, I’ll drop a quick hot take here on my blog. I’m no literary critic, but I’ll post my unfiltered take on what I’ve read.

Let’s see if I actually love Edgard Allan Poe, or I’m just into October.