From the Editor

This fall saw two major Poe events: “Evermore: The Persistence of Poe” at the Grolier Club in New York City and the dedication of the Poe statue in Boston. As the press release from the Grolier Club states:

On view from September 17 through November 22, 2014, “Evermore” showcases an extraordinary array of approximately 200 printed materials and objects drawn from Grolier member Susan Jaffe Tane’s personal holdings, widely recognized as the finest Poe collection in private hands. Co-curated by Ms. Tane and bibliographer and scholar Gabriel Mckee, the show presents an in-depth look at Poe’s life, his world, and his influence into the present day, with original manuscripts and letters by Poe, daguerreotypes, artifacts, rare first-edition books, and unique material related to Poe’s family and friends. Also on display are a number of items that show Poe’s influence on American and world culture after his death, including artwork, comic books, movie posters, sound recordings, and toys. Among the highlights of the exhibit are several recently discovered items never before shown in a public exhibition. Most notable is the only known manuscript copy of “The Conqueror Worm,” generally regarded as one of Poe’s best and bleakest poems. This copy was thought lost until its rediscovery in 2013.

Jeffrey Savoye’s essay in this issue, “Shadowy Things and Dying Forms: Investigating an Original Manuscript of Poe’s ‘The Conqueror Worm,’” relates the detailed and complicated process of authenticating such a manuscript.

On October 5, 2014, the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston unveiled the Poe statue, “Poe Returning to Boston,” by Stefanie Rocknak, at a dedication ceremony in Edgar Allan Poe Square (the intersection of Boylston Street and Charles Street South). The Foundation website (http://www.bostonpoe.org/) reveals the following insight into the artist’s inspiration for the statue:

According to Rocknak, “Poe Returning to Boston” reflects Poe’s conflicted relationship with the city. Just off the train, the figure will be walking south toward his likely place of birth. This is a triumphant Poe, returning confidently after 165 years of literary success. Unlike the work of “The Frogpondians,” including Longfellow and Emerson, [who] Poe mocked, this sculpture is neither pretentious nor didactic. The imagery is obvious and immediate. The raven represents his global fame and endurance, the trunk full of papers symbolizes the scope and power of his work, and the trailing pages are engraved with texts published in or written about Boston.

Forthcoming in about two months is the Poe Studies Association’s Fourth International Edgar Allan Poe Conference, to take place at the Roosevelt Hotel located on East 45th Street near Madison Avenue in New York City. The conference will be held from Thursday, February 26, to Sunday, March 1, 2015; for details, see http://www2.lv.psu.edu/psa/Conference2015/. The conference will begin with a reception on Thursday night in the Palm Room of the Roosevelt Hotel with welcomes by PSA President Philip Phillips, and conference co-organizers Richard Kopley and myself. James Thomas will read “‘My Heart Laid Bare’: Poe’s Poetic Autobiography Revealed in Verse and Embedded in Prose,” to remind us of Poe’s complex sensibility as revealed in his own words. Classical music sponsored by honorary PSA member Stephan Loewentheil will provide the background for a night of food, drink, discussion, and fellowship. The next three days will be full of Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe Poe (to steal a phrase): participants will have their choice of fifty-four panels on topics ranging from “Poe in Translation” to “Poe and Space.” Presenters will come from all over the world—Algeria, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Czech Republic, England, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Israel, Italy, Japan, Netherlands, People’s Republic of China, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Scotland, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Taiwan, and Viet Nam—many of whom will benefit from Susan Tane’s Travel Grant. On Saturday at our banquet, Keynote Speaker J. Gerald Kennedy will present his talk titled “Why Poe Matters Now.” We very much look forward to this conference and know that this city, where Poe enjoyed his greatest fame, will once again celebrate...