Lindsey Graham

I have plenty of evidence for these incidents.

Evidence that you forged.

I can't believe you spread the lie that Edgar showed up on my doorstep so drunk that police had to carry him away, because I can tell you right now that is untrue.

I stand by what I wrote.

I'm sure you do.

It sounds as though you're profiting handsomely off Edgar's talents, all while denigrating his character.

Your account is completely self-serving.

You suggest that Edgar admired you.

You know as well as I do how false that is.

We were not friends, I admit, but I haven't let that cloud my account of his life.

You feel your face flush with anger.

Not friends.

You turn away quickly, a fire kindling deep within you.

You vow to do whatever you can to salvage your friend's reputation against the editor who has allowed his personal grievances to get in the way of the truth.

For years, Poe's friends fought to defend his legacy.

In 1860, poet Sarah Helen Whitman published a book entitled Edgar Poe and His Critics, in which she criticized Griswold's perverted facts and baseless assumptions.

Her book defended Poe's unique artistic genius, his innate goodness, and his devotion to his wife.

Nevertheless, it was Griswold's account that became authoritative.

It influenced generations of readers to associate Poe with his evil and insane fictional characters, but Griswold also ensured that Poe's work would continue to attract interest.

Poe's reputation fared better in Europe, where his personal controversies were less widely known.