Matthew Pearl (born October 2, 1975) is an American novelist and educator. His novels include The Dante Club, The Poe Shadow, The Last Dickens, The Technologists, and The Last Bookaneer. (wikipedia)
Edgar Allan Poe, an earlier UVA student, once complained in a letter that his stepfather spoke to him as if Poe were one of the black slaves; some of the students at UVA surely felt the same about being told what to do by faculty.
I had a dog named Oliver with severe separation anxiety. He couldn't be alone... so I had to bring him wherever I went.
One important idea I hope is reflected in 'The Poe Shadow' is that fiction can add as much to history as nonfiction does.
Strangers talking over piles of books do not remain strangers for long.
Imagine! It is the real power of a book--not what is on the page, but what happens when a reader takes the pages in, makes it part of himself. That is the definition of literature.
...and luckily I have enough in my head to balance what is wanting in my back.
Romance is not an idea, but a moment. An unspoken glance when someone looks into your eyes and knows exactly who you are, what you need.
I prefer the society of one faithful person to an association of rapid talkers, who more than anything else seek admiration from one another.
The book I'm working on next, which will be my fifth, returns to literary history. I really do love literary history, and I have plenty more ideas on it.
I think respectful conflict is intrinsic to the spirit of literature. It reminds us that literary history is living and evolving and thrives on us being active participants.