Fan Favorite: Great American Authors | Edgar Allan Poe: Master of Macabre | 1
American History Tellers
Audible
4.6 • 19K Ratings
🗓️ 25 February 2026
⏱️ 43 minutes
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Summary
In February 1826, 17-year-old Edgar Allan Poe was a promising student at the University of Virginia. But within a few months, gambling debts forced him to abandon his studies. It was just one of many setbacks Poe endured in a life marked by financial struggle, alcoholism, and personal tragedy.
But Poe launched a remarkable career in writing, helping to establish American literature with a bold, new voice. From short stories including “The Fall of the House of Usher,” to the poem that made him famous, “The Raven,” he transformed the horror genre by delving into the dark recesses of the human subconscious and pushing the boundaries of fiction and verse.
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Transcript
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| 0:00.0 | Imagine it's the evening of October 16, 1845, and you're in Boston, Massachusetts. |
| 0:17.7 | You're a reporter, sitting in a dimly lit hall on the Boston Lyceum, where Edgar Allan Poe has just finished performing to a crowd of writers, editors, and literary critics. |
| 0:27.8 | You were excited for this assignment, a chance to watch the famous literary star in person, but his performance has left you and others in the crowd stunned. |
| 0:36.2 | He delivered a long, nonsensical poem |
| 0:39.3 | that caused most of the audience to leave in frustration. As you try to process what you've just |
| 0:45.1 | witnessed, you see Poe heading for the drinks table. You seize the opportunity to follow him. |
| 0:50.8 | Mr. Poe, he turns to face you, his dark eyes glinting with mischief. |
| 0:56.3 | Yes, my dear, I'm here tonight with the evening transcript. What was that poem you just read? |
| 1:01.8 | It's called All Araf. Would you believe I wrote it when I was just ten years old? |
| 1:06.5 | Ten years old. But you were asked to perform a brand new original poem. You realize you've left |
| 1:12.1 | your audience bewildered. Poe's lips curl into a bitter smile. Perhaps that was the point. |
| 1:18.3 | You stare at him in disbelief. You were invited here to showcase your talents, not to mock your |
| 1:24.0 | audience, sir. I don't care about the opinions of a Boston audience. Are you not a |
| 1:28.6 | native son of Boston? Yes, I was born in Boston, much to my eternal shame. Their pumpkin pies are |
| 1:34.9 | delicious. Their poetry is not so good. How charming to refer to your hosts with such contempt. |
| 1:41.8 | I understand you are paid fifty50 to perform here tonight. |
| 1:45.4 | Yes, a measly $50, and that tells you what the Boston Litterati think of my work. |
| 1:51.2 | If they're going to insult me like that, then my childhood scribblings are all they deserve. |
| 1:56.4 | Mr. Po, you have many admirers, myself among them, but you are not above reproach. Some are even saying |
| 2:03.1 | your talents are wasted. Stunts like this will only damage your reputation and alienate your |
| 2:08.6 | supporters. There's a glimmer of pain in Poe's eyes, and he takes a deep sigh. I don't expect |
| 2:15.0 | everyone to understand my work. So let them scorn me. I welcome it. |
... |
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