Charles Dickens & Edgar Allan Poe: A Talk

Presented by Enrica Jang, Director of the Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum, Baltimore, Maryland USA, at Dickens House Museum, London

In 1842, Edgar Allan Poe arranged a meeting with Charles Dickens during the latter’s tour of the United States. Already an admirer of Dickens’s work, Poe hoped for a professional connection—and perhaps help securing an American publisher for his own writing. What followed would shape the rest of Poe’s short life, whether Dickens intended it or not.

This talk examines the surviving correspondence from Dickens to Poe, their shared frustration over international copyright law, and Poe’s sharp reviews of Dickens’s serialized tales—including his famous deduction of a plot twist before it was published. We’ll also explore the proposed influence of Dickens’s pet raven, Grip, on Poe’s most iconic poem, and consider the significance of Dickens quietly sending money to Poe’s surviving family even decades after Poe’s death.

While Poe’s admiration for Dickens is well documented, Dickens’s opinion of Poe remains uncertain. This talk explores their literary connection, and Dickens’s lasting, if complicated, impact on Poe’s career.

Enrica Jang is Executive Director at Poe Baltimore/The Edgar Allan Poe House & Museum in Baltimore. An enthusiast long before she joined Poe House, Enrica has both written and edited books, graphic novels, and anthologies inspired by Poe's works.

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