It has been one of the great mysteries of the literary world: the strange death of Edgar Allan Poe, perhaps the most famous American horror writer of all.
Since he died, raving insanely in a hospital bed, Poe's demise has been the subject of a multitude of theories, ranging from murder to mugging to alcoholism to political skulduggery to catching an infectious disease such as rabies. Now a leading American author, who has written a novel about Poe's death, believes that he has come up with convincing evidence that could at last solve the puzzle: brain cancer.
Matthew Pearl, author of The Poe Shadow, spent three years researching Poe, especially the circumstances of his death. He had hoped to uncover new evidence to solve a mystery that has perplexed experts for more than 150 years. He thinks he has unearthed proof that Poe had a terrible brain tumour, which could explain why he died so dramatically. 'It would explain his hallucinations and his mental state before he died,' Pearl told The Observer.