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| Edgar Allan Poe |
Two weeks ago, I posted a blog entitled, "What Will it Be Boston, Books or Burritos?" about our failure to adequately recognize certain literary sites around the city, including the former Old Corner Bookstore on Washington and School streets (now a Chipotle) and Poe's birthplace (near the Boloco on Boylston). I made a few suggestions, such as calling that particular Boloco, Poeloco, and implementing a "Tell Tale Taco." However, one of our Booksmith Blog readers kindly informed me that a far, far better solution was already in the works, and that a Poe statue was soon to be erected on the site.
Last week, at a lecture on Poe at the Boston Public Library, I learned more about Poe's rather torpid relationship to the city in which he was born. Poe liked to criticize the works of Boston's literary heroes, such as Longfellow and Lowell, as didactic and dull, and he commonly referred to Bostonians as a whole as "frogpondians." Despite his vehement dislike for the city, we are still going to remember him on Poe Corner, storming by the Boloco with a open suitcase in hand, books and papers trailing behind him, and a raven flapping magnificently at his side.
On Sunday, May 13 at 1pm you can show your support for such literary landmarks by attending "The Raven's Trail: A Walking Tour of Poe's Boston," presented by the Edgar Allan Poe Foundation of Boston, Inc. The walk will be led by Paul Lewis of Boston College, vice president of the Poe Studies Association. For only 15$ you get a 90 minute tour exploring the writer's relationship to Boston, beginning at Boloco in Poe Square. The money will go to the implementation of this fantastic Poe sculpture by Stefanie Rocknak. Hope to see you there!
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