Edgar Allan Poe – Biography
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Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849),
Edgar Allan Poe was an enigmatic personality. He is highly esteemed as a poet but also wrote many detective stories, in particular horror stories.
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. His mother died when he was 3 and so in the absence of his real father he was adopted by John Allan a wealthy merchant from Richmond. Edgar was educated in both America and for 5 years in England (The Manor School at Stoke Newington).
For a time Edgar A. Poe enlisted in the US army. However within 3 year he had been dishonourably discharged for neglect of duties. Following his short lived army career Edgar supported himself through writing. In particular his short stories were popular.
Poe had a turbulent and difficult life. In 1836 he married his 13 years old cousin Virginia Clemm but she suffered a partial paralysis and remained a virtual invalid until her death 5 years later. From this period onwards Poe began to become heavily involved in alcohol and drugs which seriously affected his health, both mental and physical. The nature of his death is disputed but many accounts state he turned up in Baltimore in a delirious condition from alcohol.
Despite his often turbulent and difficult outer life. Poe wrote many classic pieces of writing, including the dark poem of lost love ‘The Raven’. His most famous detective stories include ‘The Murders in the Rue Morgue(1841)’and ‘The Purloined Letter’
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