About Poe

Edgar Allan Poe's Life in 2 Minutes

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts on January 19, 1809 to Mr. and Mrs. Poe. Unfortunately, Edgar Allan Poe's biological parents would both pass away before the boy was three years old. Throughout the rest of his life, Poe would be raised as a foster child by John and Frances Allan, while residing in Richmond, Virginia. Poe became a heavy gambler and was indirectly forced to leave the University of Virginia, where he had been excelling, due to his inability to pay back all of his gambling debts. Due to his disheveled relationship with his father, in 1827, Poe decided to move back to Boston and enlist in the United States Army. Even after his service, Poe attempting to continue his schooling at the United States Military Academy but was forced to leave due to financial difficulties. Edgar Allan Poe had been an extremely bright and creative individual his entire life but always seemed to run into financial difficulties which quickly halted his education on multiple occasions. This financial trouble caused him to move to Virginia in order to live with his aunt Maria Clemm and cousin Virginia. He would marry his cousin Virginia in 1836 (I know... crazy) who was only thirteen years old at the time. Over the next ten or so years, Edgar Allan Poe would cement himself into history as one of the best short-story writers and poets of all time. During this time, Poe released world-famous works such as "The Tell-Tale Heart", "The Raven", "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", and many more. Poe had finally peaked as a writer, poet, and editor after overcoming so many obstacles in his life.
Unfortunately for Poe, this did not last too long. In 1847, Poe's wife and cousin Virginia contracted tuberculosis and passed away. It was at this time that Poe's life began to spiral out of control. Due to Virginia's death, Poe's struggles with depression and alcoholism increased greatly. He became severely depressed and relied heavily on alcohol to help him cope with the pain. In 1849, he returned to Richmond before heading out in order to try and secure an editing job in Philadelphia. On October 3, 1849, Poe was found half-conscious in Baltimore, Maryland. It was unknown why he was in Baltimore and why he had been so mentally out of it. Four days later, Poe died in a hospital due to unknown causes. The theories of his death vary greatly including suicide, murder, influenza, rabies, brain tumor, and much more. To this day, Edgar Allan Poe's reason for being in Baltimore and his cause of death still remain a mystery to those whom his work has impacted and to society as a whole.

Geiling, Natasha. “The (Still) Mysterious Death of Edgar Allan Poe.” Smithsonian.com, Smithsonian Institution, 7 Oct. 2014, www.smithsonianmag.com/history/still-mysterious-death-edgar-allan-poe-180952936/.

Shelley, Percy. “Edgar Allan Poe.” Poets.org, Academy of American Poets, 6 Oct. 2015, www.poets.org/poetsorg/poet/edgar-allan-poe.