Significant American writer Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was in foster care as child.

In her 1999 novel, Poe’s Cat, Australian writer Brenda Walker (1957-2024), tells the story of cousins Thea & Finn who become interested in Poe because of a large collection of books about him in their grandfather’s Blue Mountains library.


The novel centres on the relationship between Poe and his cousin Virginia. The couple were married Virginia was only 13; she died of tuberculosis only 10 years later.


At night, Thea tells stories about characters taken from Poe stories but which emphasise both love and living beyond the age of only 24.