Edgar Allan Poe is born
On this day in 1809 poet author and literary critic Edgar Allan Poe is born in Boston Massachusetts.By the time he was three years old both of Poes parents had died leaving him in the care of his godfather John Allan a wealthy tobacco merchant.After attending school in England Poe entered the University of Virginia (UVA) in 1826.After fighting with Allan over his heavy gambling debts he was forced to leave UVA after only eight months.
Poe then served two years in the U.S.Army and won an appointment to West Point.After another falling-out Allan cut him off completely and he got himself dismissed from the academy for rules infractions.Dark handsome and brooding Poe had published three works of poetry by that time none of which had received much attention.
In 1836 while working as an editor at the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond Virginia Poe married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm.He also completed his first full-length work of fiction Arthur Gordon Pym published in 1838.Poe lost his job at the Messenger due to his heavy drinking and the couple moved to Philadelphia where Poe worked as an editor at Burtons Gentlemans Magazine and Grahams Magazine.
He became known for his direct and incisive criticism as well as for dark horror stories like The Fall of the House of Usher and The Tell-Tale Heart.Also around this time Poe began writing mystery stories including The Murders in the Rue Morgue and The Purloined Letterworks that would earn him a reputation as the father of the modern detective story.In 1844 the Poes moved to New York City.He scored a spectacular success the following year with his poem The Raven.
While Poe was working to launch The Broadway Journalwhich soon failedhis wife Virginia fell ill and died of tuberculosis in early 1847.His wifes death drove Poe even deeper into alcoholism and drug abuse.After becoming involved with several women Poe returned to Richmond in 1849 and got engaged to an old flame.
Before the wedding however Poe died suddenly.Though circumstances are somewhat unclear it appeared he began drinking at a party in Baltimore and disappeared only to be found incoherent in a gutter three days later.Taken to the hospital he died on October 7 1849 at age 40.
