After two centuries in exile, Edward Allan Poe is welcomed back in Boston
by Ethan Shimony
Abandoned by her husband, Elizabeth Arnold Poe left Boston for Richmond, VA,
bringing along her one-year-old son Edgar. The year was 1810. The Gothic writer, now
celebrated the world over, is hardly memorialized in his home city. How can Boston
neglect a native son more famous than Paul Revere?
On October 5th, the poet and author was
awarded long-overdue recognition by the city of
his birth: a half-ton bronze sculpture entitled
“Poe Returning to Boston” (left). Sculptor
Stefanie Rocknak conceived the project and
created the artwork. The monument stands at
the corner of Boylston St. and So. Charles, a
niche named Edgar Allan Poe Square by the late
Mayor Tom Menino.
At five foot eight, Rocknak’s likeness of Poe is
on a human and not monumental scale. Poe is
depicted in full stride with his cape billowing
behind him. His briefcase spills manuscripts and
a disembodied heart, while a huge raven flies besides him.
The statue highlights Poe’s antipathy to Boston. He called the city “Frogpondium”,
likening its men of letters to frogs croaking to one another. In Rocknak’s representation
Poe walks south towards his place of birth, leaving behind the Common and, of course,
its frog pond. When asked if she considers the sculpture to be a posthumous vindication
of Poe, Rocknack answered, “Yes, absolutely.”
Public arts consultant Jean Mineo explained why Rocknak was selected among 265
contestants. A panel of five judges stated that her work neatly conveys the writer’s
contentious relationship with the city of his birth. Moreover, they liked that Poe treads on
the city’s paving stones, placing him among the onlookers.
Shortly before the unveiling ceremony, some 300 fans of E.A. Poe gathered in the
Georgian Room of the nearby Park Plaza Hotel. People recited his poems and read from
his stories. Paul Lewis, Professor of English at Boston College and President of the Edgar
Allan Poe Foundation of Boston, spoke of the writer’s legacy: “We live in apocalyptic,
Gothic times. Poe and other Gothic writers anticipated that.” He also thanked the donors
who provided $225,000 to finance the project. Rocknak described the three-year process
of making the sculpture, showing photographs from various stages in its creation.
In the final half hour before its unveiling, spectators gathered around the sculpture in Poe
Square. Musing about her artwork, Rocknak wondered who would be the first person to
take a selfie next to the Gothic writer. Robert Pinsky, a former American poet laureate,
read Poe’s poem “Eldorado”. The canvas was finally lifted, revealing the sculpture
beneath a bright October sky. Pinsky noted that only the weather was discordant; gloom
would better befit the man being celebrated.
Six weeks later, a little girl studied the new sculpture. “Ooo! a heart,” she exclaimed in
disgust. It was a cold November day, and Poe had been dead for 165 years. “The Master
of the Macabre” had just touched another life, and that connection was possible thanks to
Rocknak’s artwork.