Does anybody know what this is? I seem to remember hearing about it long ago, and read something about it just tonight, but it said the title of the story is Richmond, Late September, 1849. I've searched many times (google has not been my friend tonight), and nothing is turning up under that name. It just shows me endless news reports and maps, mostly centered on Poe's death. I do believe such a story exists, I think it was written by Poe (about his own actual death, which is pretty weird), but that isn't its name. Ok, actually it seems likely it was written by somebody else. A little detail to hopefully jog somebody's memory— In the story Poe is walking the streets of Richmond and meets a mysterious woman who claims to be Baudelaire's sister. They go into a cafe or tavern and talk. She knows Poe's poems about losing women he had loved, including The Raven and Annabel Lee, but is unfamiliar with his prose, though she also tells him her name is Berenice (the name of one of his stories). He knows Baudelaire doesn't have a sister, because they've written letters back and forth. Poe then brings up The Masque of the Red Death and says "this chamber is the Red Palace and you its Queen." Which makes her Death, or The Plague at any rate, which must be close cousins. She then tells him she'll meet him again in Baltimore (which is where he would die). I can swear I remember such a story, and maybe it was written by Poe, but I can't figure out what it was called. Can anybody help?
Never mind, the mystery is solved. I suddenly realized it might be written by Fritz Leiber (the book I read about it in tonight is about him). Did a little search, and sure enough. Wouldn't you know it, after knocking my head against the wall countless times I write up this post ^ and then immediatley figure it out. Derp. It's in a book called Smoke Ghost and Other Apparitions, which also includes a story called MS. Found in a Maelstrom. Interesting.
That sounds cool. I wonder, did Baudelaire and Poe really exchange letters? If Poe had known what a massive influence he would have in French letters...
I don't know, but I suspect Leiber was referring to his own exchange of letters with Lovecraft. He was making just about everything at least half-autobiographical in those days.
I now know they did indeed exchange many letters. Baudelaire was a great admirer of Poe's work and translated much of it into French. Also Poe was a major influence on his own writing, and through him the rest of the French Symbolist poets. In fact I believe they met in person. I think Poe journeyed across the ocean and met with him in France. Don't quoote me on that one though, it's been a while now since I read about it and the memory is sputtering. Just checked. According to this page they never did meet.
Nevermind, I seem to be batting zero this morning. I can't find any corroboration that they ever exchanged letters. I suppose their only real correspondence was through Poe's stories and poetry. When I look up Baudelaire Letters he wrote many, and (probably) many about Poe, but apparenlty none to him. Shattered now. Oh well, it was a fun little fantasy while it lasted. Actually it seems odd that they didn't, considering Baudelaire spent seventeen years translating Poe and writing about him. Just from the depth of knowledge he had about Poe, obvious in his writings about him, I assumed they had conversed at length. And I could swear I read about a meeting they had.
It looks like Baudelaire discovered Poe in 1846 or 7, and Poe's death was in 1849. Ony a small window for correspondence or meetings.
