Summer Vacation

A long and challenging academic year has come to an end. The Edgar Allan Poe Blog has surpassed any initial expectations receiving hundreds of visits from the United States, Belgium, Spain, and Greece, to name a few countries. I would like to thank you all for your support. This break is much needed; yet it does not signify the absence of hard work.
My upcoming research stay at the Penn State University will undoubtedly aid my research in the field of Poe studies and it will also allow me to delve into new aspects in this field which will be reflected on this blog. Wishing you all a relaxing summer.

D.T.

How Did Edgar Allan Poe Die?

How did Edgar Allan Poe die? This remains a mystery up until this very day. The American author was most certainly a troubled personality. Yet, no apt evidence exists to justify his sudden death nor the lack of clues with respect to the events that led to it days before he was found in a state of insanity. An interesting approach to the topic can be found at the History is Now Magazine. For further details visit here

Poe's Biography [In Spanish]

A large number of the visitors of this blog come from Spain. Spain has been a very active country in the study of Poe; very recently, "The Edgar Allan Poe Spanish Association" was formed under the presidency of Dr. Margarita Rigal Aragon. For all the Spanish speakers who visit my blog, I present you with a splendid video on Poe's biography which has been dubbed and subtitled.   

The Beautiful Yet Dark Mind of Edgar Allan Poe

Nikos Mavrelos: The reception of Poe in Greece and Roidis' perspective

I have recently come across a very intriguing study by Nikolaos Mavrelos, faculty member of  the Democritus University of Thrace. His 2003 publication titled "The reception of Poe in Greece and Roidis' perspective," carefully examines how Poe's works were introduced to the Greeks while reconsidering the similarities and dissimilarities of these translations compared to the original texts as well as to Baudelaire's adaptations. 

It is well known that Baudelaire influenced the majority of European countries when it came to Poe's arrival there. In fact, many have justly argued that the ideal image of Poe in the eyes of the Europeans is owed to the French author. 

In spite of this, Mavrelos uncovers a number of dissimilarities between Rhoides and Baudelaire. There is a general consensus that it was only natural for translators of Poe's works to follow Baudelaire's lead. Yet, after a triple comparison of a number of works, Mavrelos interestingly asserts that "it is not certain that Rhoides had not checked the original work". Mavrelos ultimately concludes that the Greek litterateur's previous works are "forerunners of the way he presented Poe, unveiling a somehow forgotten side of Poe's work". More on that article, and on the reasons why Rhoides opted for a different approach to Poe's works in my future posts.
You may find Mavrelos' article here.

Works Cited

Mavrelos, Nikos. "The Reception of Poe in Greece and Roidis' Perspective." Comparaison 14.1 (2003): 75-99.

Emmanuel Rhoides and Poe

Emmanuel Rhoides, the first translator of Poe in Greece

Emmanuel Rhoides, the first Greek translator who introduced Poe to the Greeks, has been widely praised for his work. Indeed, his translations inspired many, and several translators of Poe emerged soon after his 1872 translation of Poe's "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar". 

Rhoides was severely influenced by Baudelaire upon his task of translating Poe's stories, just like the majority of the European countries. Yet, over the past few years, relevant research has wondered why his translations were not similar to the French author's. In answer to this question, I may note that Rhoides has intentionally tried to avoid being influenced by Baudelaire. In fact, I argue that he had read the original works in English, and there are several clues that point to that conclusion. 

A page before his first translation in 1877 in the first ever issue of "Parnassus", readers encounter the first Greek critical text on Poe, a foreword written by Rhoides. Its title is "Εδγαρδος Ποου", Poe's name exactly as it is pronounced in English. Why didn't Rhoides adopt one of the foreign versions of pronunciations of Poe's name? Most likely, he was a fluent English speaker. Also, Rhoides makes no mention of Baudelaire in his work, and he never advertises Poe's lie of having travelled to Greece--Baudelaire frequently fell into Poe's trap. 

More on Rhoides, his passion for Poe's work, and his impact on other Greek authors and poets in future posts.

"A Predicament" and Chronos

Chronos, the Hellenic God 

Upon reexamining Poe's "A Predicament," a short story that has rightly been considered as a 'sequel' of "How to Write a Blackwood Article" I stumbled upon some images that reminded me of the Hellenic god of Time. 

Chronos, often confused by scholars as the ancient god Cronus, was Time in Hellenic thought. He is usually depicted by archaeologists bearing a scythe. His role was to dominate people's lives, taking them away when their time was due. It is interesting that Psyche Zenobia, the story's protagonist, passes away by being decapitated by a clock. Perhaps we might be witnesses of yet another Hellenic allusion here, one that I was not able to find in any relevant study. 

More on this on a future publication of mine which I will connect to this post in due time. 

Technical Difficulties

Dear visitors,
This is to apologize for the long period of being inactive. Due to technical difficulties I have not been able to have access to the blog; this ultimately prevents me from publishing posts. Be that as it may, I am soon going to resolve these issues and I will be return with several interesting posts on Poe and his reception in Europe.
Coming up, my focus will fall upon Maria Filippakopoulou's Transatlantic Poe which mainly focuses on the American author's reception in Europe while also dealing with Baudelaire and his engagement with Poe's works.
Once again, I apologize for the lack of posts over the past few weeks.
With best wishes,

D.T.

First Hellenic Translation of Poe: "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" by E. Rhoides (1877) [1]

As I have formerly noted in a previous post, Poe's first work to have been translated into Greek was "The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar" in an 1877 issue of Παρνασσός. Emmanuel Rhoides was responsible for this exquisite introduction and he never hid his enthusiasm for Poe. 

Below, you may find the first pages from the original issue of the aforementioned literary journal. The issue, more than 140 years old, is priceless and it is still maintained by the literary association "Parnassus" in Athens. In future posts I will attempt to offer images from the entire issue, since the arrival of Poe's works in Greece is an insufficiently explored topic in the field of Poe studies. 

Rhoides' unknown translation of Poe's "The Black Cat"

Emmanuel Rhoides

Edgar Allan Poe was introduced rather belatedly to the Greeks. In fact, as I have already mentioned in a number of previous posts, the first Greek translation of his works appeared in 1877 in an issue of Παρνασσός. Poe was made known to the Greeks through the French translations of Baudelaire. Be that as it may, despite the fact that relevant criticism has downplayed the American author's impact on Hellenic letters, Poe did influence many translators and writers. 

One of these was Emmanuel Rhoides. Rhoides never hid his enthusiasm for Poe. Among his many translations, that of "The Black Cat" stands out. This short story belongs to Poe's tales of horror and mystery. As Christina Dounia rightly argues in her 2004 chapter, Rhoides' translation is more of an interpretation rather than a faithful version of the original. After reading the Hellenic version of the tale I quickly realized that Rhoides most certainly had access to the original text, and he possibly ignored Baudelaire's version.

Emmanuel Rhoides (Greek: Ἐμμανουὴλ Ῥοΐδης; 28 June 1836 – 7 January 1904) was a Greek writer and journalist. He is considered one of the most illustrious and reviving spirits of the Greek letters of his time. More on his perspective of Poe's tales, and his contribution to the latter's introduction to Greece, will be analyzed in my future publications.

Works Cited

Dounia, Christina. "Μια άγνωστη μετάφραση του Εμ. Ροίδη: 'Ο Μαύρος Γάτος' του Εμμανουήλ Έ. Ά. Πόε." In Μνήμη Άλκη Αγγέλου (Thessaloniki: University Studio Press, 2014), 493-502

Top 5% of researchers on Academia.edu

This is to thank every scholar who took an interest in my recent publications. Reaching the top 5% of researchers on academia.edu was entirely unexpected, and it will be a motivating factor for my future research. You can visit my academia.edu profile through the link below.

https://ual-es.academia.edu/DimitriosTsokanos

Edgar Poe and Virginia Clemm- An Interesting Short Movie

I recently came across this quite interesting movie dedicated to Edgar Allan Poe. Starring Barry O'Moore as Edgar Allan Poe and Linda Arvidson as Virginia Poe, the 1909 mini-production offers a realistic view of Poe's life when Virginia Clemm fell ill which I highly recommend. You may find the video on youtube by clicking here.

Poe's First Introduction to the Hellenes (1877)

Poe's introduction to the Hellenes was rather belated. In fact, the first translation of his works was that of Emmanuel Rhoides in the 1877 issue of Parnassus. Despite the fact that Romantic ideas spread widely in the Kingdom of Greece ever since the Hellenic Revolution against the Turks, Poe's arrival in Greece took more than 28 years after his death. In my upcoming article in The Edgar Allan Poe Review (Fall 2017) I explain the reasons why this interval occured, and I also indicate that Poe has indeed had a major influence in Hellenic Letters. The following image is the first page of Rhoides 1877 translation ("The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar"), a rather historic document that has been preserved by the literary association Parnassus. More on that in my future posts.

Hellenic Allusions in "Berenice"

Over the past few decades, Edgar Allan Poe's “Berenice” has been investigated from a number of different perspectives; in fact, scholars have particularly connected this story to the author's biography. Poe's choice to name his main protagonist Egaeus, fact which may indicate a Hellenic influence on the author's literary production, has not been overlooked. However, even in meticulous studies such as Silverman's seminal A Never-Ending Remembrance, one can observe that Poe's engagement with the Hellenic past in “Berenice” has not been examined in depth. My most recent publication aims to delineate Hellenic allusions that are apparent in the tale, offering an additional connection between Poe's narrative and ancient Greece which has not been sufficiently emphasized by relevant literature in this field of Poe studies. You may find my article here


Works Cited

Tsokanos, Dimitrios. "'My Baptismal Name is Egaeus': Assessing Hellenic Allusions in Poe's 'Berenice'." Verbeia. Revista de Estudios Filologicos 2.1 (2017): 214-223.

Poe in Spain (2)

While examining Poe's permanence in the Spanish letters, I deemed relevant to research on the vast number of academic editions of his works in Spain. Though it is true that Cortazar's translations of Poe's tales and poems are indeed seminal, over the past few years, from 2000 until 2015, a large number of academic studies on Poe have been developed here. Javier Castillo Martin and Santiago Guerrero-Strachan stand out among many Spanish Poe scholars, as their studies have dealt with aspects of Poe's works that had not been discussed sufficiently in the past. José Manuel Correoso-Rodenas's 2016 essay offers an overview of all the academic studies on Poe in Spain, interestingly claiming that the American author was and still is unknown to the Spaniards. You may find his article in The Edgar Allan Poe Review here

Works Cited

Correoso-Rodenas, José Manuel. "Poe's Academic Editions in Spain within the First Fifteen Years of the Twenty-First Century." The Edgar Allan Poe Review 17.2 (Autumn 2016): 161-77.

Poe in Spain

It is no secret that during the 19th century in Spain, especially between the 1850s and 1890s, many English-speaking writers entered the Spanish literary spheres and influenced many. Shakespeare, Dickens, and Byron, among others, inevitably became idols for Spanish writers of fantastic fiction. Even though Poe's name does not often appear in this list, he did influence a number of writers as well, greatly so, I dare say. In his 2009 essay, Santiago Rodríguez Guerrero-Strachan recounts mentions of Poe "in newspapers and journals such as in José Ortega Munilla's 'news of society' page in Los lunes del Imparcial and in Rafael María de Labra's 1879 article, 'La literatura norte-americana en Europa: J. Fennimore Cooper, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Edgar Allan Poe'" (2009: 49). In fact, according to Guerrero-Strachan, "Spanish authors of the period showed an interest in Poe that ranged from mere curiosity to a more profound interest in the techniques of the fantastic story" (49). Of course, just as in the case of many other European countries, Spain is indebted to Charles Baudelaire when it comes to Poe. Even though Poe's poetry was not widely known in Spain until the early 20th century, and despite cultural misinterpretations that occured due to the incomplete knowledge of American and British Romantic poetry here, Poe did leave his mark on Spanish literature. For further insight please visit Strachan's 2009 article in The Edgar Allan Poe Review here. 

Works Cited

Rodríguez Guerrero-Strachan, Santiago. “Edgar A. Poe's Poetry in Spain in the 19th Century: An Issue for Connoisseurs”. The Edgar Allan Poe Review. 10.2 (Fall 2009): 49-56.

Poe and Psychoanalysis

Poe was, beyond doubt, a troubled person. The horrid events that marked his life--the death of his biological mother, the death of his foster mother and of his wife, Virginia, among others-- inevitably led him to the depths of despair. It is, however, true that he caused many of his predicaments on his own in several occasions. Insubordination, alcoholism and insanity seem to be some of his sufferings. In fact, his behavior does hint a personality destined to constantly wish self-destruction and death.

Sadly, there is no written document enlightening us on Poe's mental state. The American author never left a diary detailing his feelings and emotions either, leaving contemporary Poe scholars with no option but to speculate. When one tries to pinpoint Poe's internal woes they are inevitably led to a research method that requires no proof, but only interpretations through an author's work: Psychoanalysis. 

Among the many scholars who attempted to fully understand Poe, princess Marie Bonaparte stands out. Her tremendously lengthy work delved the depths of Poe, ultimately reaching to conclusions that have been disputed widely over the past few years. Her work will not escape my attention. Yet I wish to focus on one study that has fascinated me; that of Mario Praz (1960). In his study, Praz carefully reconsiders theories on Poe's impotence, his Oedipal complex, and his problem of repetition while pointing out "how psychoanalysis can contribute to a study of the background of Poe's Tales" (1960: 377). You may find his study through the following link

Works Cited

Praz, Mario. "Poe and Psychoanalysis (1933)." The Swanee Review 68.3 (1960): 375-89. 

Poe's Spaces in "The Following"- by M. Rigal Aragon & JM Correoso-Rodenas

Poe's spaces have been examined in the past by several studies since the complexity of the American author's use of spaces has shaped crime fiction. Poe's storytelling has, beyond doubt, affected popular culture and the cinema as well. Movies such as The Tomb of Ligeia (1964), Two Evil Eyes (1990), Lunacy (2005), or, more recently, the Tell-Tale (2009) prove this claim.

Margarita Rigal Aragon, president of "The Edgar Allan Poe Spanish Association," and Jose Manuel Correoso Rodenas, Ph.D. Candidate of the University of Castilla-La Mancha have recently published an essay in which they examine the presence of Poe's spaces in "The Following" (2013-to date), a TV show created by Kevin Williamson starring Kevin Bacon and James Purefoy. 

In their study, these two Poe scholars meticulously explore the Poeian spaces ever since the first episode, concluding that "the series is, indeed, full of piquerist manifestations" (2017: 31). Their conclusions ultimately point out the fact that the directors have read and analyzed Poe's tales while also arguing that "perhaps unaware of it, Williamson and his team have managed to assemble a series in which spaces resonate with Burke's idea of the sublime, the idea present in Poe's own understanding of terror" (2017: 31). 

You may find Rigal Aragon's and Correoso Rodena's entire essay here

Works Cited

Rigal Aragon, Margarita, and Jose Manuel Correoso-Rodenas. "Poe's Spaces and The Following." Studia Neurophilologica 89.1 (2017): 14-33.

"Sonnet-To Zante"--Burton R. Pollin's Study

My previous post was dedicated to one of my favorite poems, Poe's "Sonnet-To Zante". As I mentioned, there are several Hellenic motifs to be found in this work; after all, Poe dedicates this poem to the beauty of Ζάκυνθος [Zacynthos]. As I read the poem again and again, I am surprised by its philhellenic tone. I thus decided to delve into relevant criticism in an attempt to explore scholarly affirmations that focus on those elements. It is true that several Poe scholars have acknowledged the presence of Greece in Poe; yet none of them explore the sources of Poe's inspiration as Burton R. Pollin did. In his 1968 essay, he carefully explores all the connections between the poem and Greece indicating the that the land of the Hellenes was Poe's "Holy Land," as the American author calls it in "To Helen". You may find Pollin's article here. 

Works Cited

• Pollin, Burton R. "Poe's 'Sonnet-To Zante': Sources and Associations." Comparative Literature Studies 5.3 (1968): 303-15.  

International Poetry Month-- "Sonnet- To Zante"

April is the national poetry month and I cannot help remembering one of Poe's shortest yet greatest poems: "Sonnet- To Zante".

Upon his first literary steps, Poe famously said the phrase "If the poem is published, succeed or not, I am 'irrecoverably a poet," and his love for the art of poetry was undeniably affected by his affection for the Hellenes. 

Below you may find the entire poem:

  Fair isle, that from the fairest of all flowers,
    Thy gentlest of all gentle names dost take!
    How many memories of what radiant hours
    At sight of thee and thine at once awake!
    How many scenes of what departed bliss!
    How many thoughts of what entombed hopes!
    How many visions of a maiden that is
    No more- no more upon thy verdant slopes!
    No more! alas, that magical sad sound
    Transforming all! Thy charms shall please no more-
    Thy memory no more! Accursed ground
    Henceforth I hold thy flower-enameled shore,
    O hyacinthine isle! O purple Zante!
    "Isola d'oro! Fior di Levante!"

Its elegiac tone, its rime, its punctuation, all testify that Poe had not finished the poem when it was first published. Poe directly refers to the beauty of Zante, otherwise known as Zacynthos, one of the seven Ionian islands. Poe was a Hellenophile and his reference to the Greek island is not accidental; he knew that Byron's body had been in the state of Zante.

Which is your favourite poem? Feel free to comment and discuss.