Poe's woes

When times are tough, even dead writers suffer?

For some time now, I've thought that Edgar Allen Poe was living quite an extravagant life--three homes in three Mid-Atlantic cities seemed a bit much, and I had a sneaky feeling he may have had rent control in the Bronx and unpaid property taxes in Philly.

Well, this article suggests the tell-tale signs that the authorities are on to fast Edgy, and that officials will finally force him to live (in death) a bit more moderately. Baltimore is hiring consultants (scholars of literature and readers of classics, no doubt) to develop plans for Poe and his home to become self-sufficient in the town where he died.

There's no word yet on whether we'll be able interview the dead writer on these new austerity measures.