Page "Edgar Allan Poe" Paragraph 26

Rufus Griswold wrote a biographical article of Poe called " Memoir of the Author ", which he included in an 1850 volume of the collected works.

Griswold depicted Poe as a depraved, drunk, drug-addled madman and included Poe's letters as evidence.

Many of his claims were either lies or distorted half-truths.

For example, it is now known that Poe was not a drug addict.

Griswold's book was denounced by those who knew Poe well, but it became a popularly accepted one.

This occurred in part because it was the only full biography available and was widely reprinted and in part because readers thrilled at the thought of reading works by an " evil " man.

Letters that Griswold presented as proof of this depiction of Poe were later revealed as forgeries.