Darkness Becomes Bright
On the Brief Life and Immortal Art of Edgar Allan Poe
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Darkness Becomes Bright
Narrated by:
Gabrielle De Cuir
Buy Now for ₹546.23
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Narrated by:
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Gabrielle De Cuir
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Written by:
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Emily Ogden
A fascinating and intimate inquiry into Edgar Allan Poe’s shadowy life and horrifyingly compelling work—and why we are drawn to darkness in art
Since Edgar Allan Poe’s mysterious death in 1849, his stories and poems have captivated millions of readers around the world. Nearly two centuries later, why do we continue to descend into the darkness of his imagination—and of the genres, from horror to crime, that he pioneered?
In this spellbinding and singular book, Guggenheim Fellow and Whiting grant recipient Emily Ogden plumbs the darkness within Poe and enters it alongside him. She interweaves stories from his mysterious and tragic life—from his strange disappearances and tortured romances to his nearly fatal use of opium—with those of his most famous readers and translators, including poet Charles Baudelaire, writer Julio Cortázar, and psychoanalyst Marie Bonaparte, a descendant of Napoleon and a patient of Sigmund Freud.
Tracing their passionate attachments to Poe—and Ogden’s own, unexpectedly sparked when she taught an introductory Poe course at the University of Virginia, where Poe himself was once a student—Darkness Becomes Bright makes a different case for literature from the one we most often hear. This exquisite volume shows how Poe’s vision echoes across the generations, allowing us to make peace with our own flawed humanity.
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Critic Reviews
Advance Praise for Darkness Becomes Bright:
“Fresh, engaging . . . An inventive melding of biography, personal essay, and literary history.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“Emily Ogden’s powerful, transgressive biography of Edgar Allan Poe celebrates the author’s ability to uncover the murky, infrequently acknowledged darkness within us—and invite it to the table.” —BookPage (starred review)
“Consistently insightful . . . Ogden argues for the utility of horror in coming to terms with life’s uncertainties and for Poe’s literary immortality.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Ostensibly a study of Edgar Allan Poe, Darkness Becomes Bright quickly reveals itself to be a study of the human soul as well. In rereading Poe for our time, Ogden illuminates our perverse love of failure, our capacity for astonishment, and the longing that drives us to search for light within the darkness around us. Profoundly insightful, the book also reminds us of the solace we find in facing our fears.” —Meghan O’Rourke, author of The Invisible Kingdom
“A wonderfully engaging account of Poe’s troubled life and work that is also a celebration of artistic cross-fertilization. Nimble, generous, brimming with insight, Ogden’s book captures the richness, the strangeness and the unexpected beauty to be found in our enduring fascination with the dark places of the soul.” —Sarah Waters, author of The Paying Guests
“A gorgeous, spellbinding tale that blends criticism, biography, and carefully chosen moments of memoir to look fearlessly at what is most difficult—most perverse, disturbing, and, occasionally, beautiful—in art as well as life. Emily Ogden writes with the erudition of a scholar and the sensitivity of a spirit medium. ” —Christine Smallwood, author of The Life of the Mind
“Elegant, frank, discreet, and disturbing, Darkness Becomes Bright takes you on a precarious starlit walk through Poe's shattered life and works. Conversing with his deepest devotees, Ogden turns unexpected corners to reveal the compulsive rewards of returning to Poe – the strange, demanding witness to everything we'd prefer not to know.” —John Tresch, author of The Reason for the Darkness of the Night
“Emily Ogden brilliantly exhumes the beating heart of America's darkest poet.” —Orlando Reade, author of What in Me Is Dark
“Emily Ogden does not flinch from the obscure and sometimes horrifying recesses of Poe’s psychosis. Her enthralling psychological portrait of the tormented artist is drawn with panache, and great compassion.” —Sue Prideaux, author of Wild Thing
“Fresh, engaging . . . An inventive melding of biography, personal essay, and literary history.” —Kirkus (starred review)
“Emily Ogden’s powerful, transgressive biography of Edgar Allan Poe celebrates the author’s ability to uncover the murky, infrequently acknowledged darkness within us—and invite it to the table.” —BookPage (starred review)
“Consistently insightful . . . Ogden argues for the utility of horror in coming to terms with life’s uncertainties and for Poe’s literary immortality.” —Library Journal (starred review)
“Ostensibly a study of Edgar Allan Poe, Darkness Becomes Bright quickly reveals itself to be a study of the human soul as well. In rereading Poe for our time, Ogden illuminates our perverse love of failure, our capacity for astonishment, and the longing that drives us to search for light within the darkness around us. Profoundly insightful, the book also reminds us of the solace we find in facing our fears.” —Meghan O’Rourke, author of The Invisible Kingdom
“A wonderfully engaging account of Poe’s troubled life and work that is also a celebration of artistic cross-fertilization. Nimble, generous, brimming with insight, Ogden’s book captures the richness, the strangeness and the unexpected beauty to be found in our enduring fascination with the dark places of the soul.” —Sarah Waters, author of The Paying Guests
“A gorgeous, spellbinding tale that blends criticism, biography, and carefully chosen moments of memoir to look fearlessly at what is most difficult—most perverse, disturbing, and, occasionally, beautiful—in art as well as life. Emily Ogden writes with the erudition of a scholar and the sensitivity of a spirit medium. ” —Christine Smallwood, author of The Life of the Mind
“Elegant, frank, discreet, and disturbing, Darkness Becomes Bright takes you on a precarious starlit walk through Poe's shattered life and works. Conversing with his deepest devotees, Ogden turns unexpected corners to reveal the compulsive rewards of returning to Poe – the strange, demanding witness to everything we'd prefer not to know.” —John Tresch, author of The Reason for the Darkness of the Night
“Emily Ogden brilliantly exhumes the beating heart of America's darkest poet.” —Orlando Reade, author of What in Me Is Dark
“Emily Ogden does not flinch from the obscure and sometimes horrifying recesses of Poe’s psychosis. Her enthralling psychological portrait of the tormented artist is drawn with panache, and great compassion.” —Sue Prideaux, author of Wild Thing
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