Author Description

* The Fall of the House of Usher * The Pit and the Pendulum * The Tell-Tale Heart * The Masque of the Red Death * Ligeia * The Raven * The Cask of Amontillado * The Black Cat * The Premature Burial * The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar The ten selections represented in this recording pursue similar themes of death, ghostly reappearance, being buried alive and other forms of mental and physical torture. They remain curiously effective even in the 21st century, when it could be presumed that the excessive style would lose its power to shock or move -- in the manner of an ornate Victorian graveyard. Yet The Fall of the House of Usher, The Masque of the Red Death, and even Ligeia create shivers long after the concluding lines have been heard; there are the images of premature burial, of the swinging pendulum, of the accusing black cat. But more than all this, the power lies in the way the atmosphere and the horror linger in the mind, half touching reality. Although he lived a short and tragic life, Poe remains today one of the most-beloved mystery writers in history. His contributions to literature and the mystery genre cannot be underestimated and will continue to command a key place in the development of horror in Western literature. William Roberts has appeared extensively in TV, film, and theater, varying from The Young Indiana Jones Chronicles and Navy Seals to Martin Chuzzlewit and A View to Kill. He is also a familiar voice on radio and audiobooks, with numerous dramas and books to his credit. He has also read Classic American Short Stories for Naxos AudioBooks.