Edgar Allan Poe: Master of the Macabre

Early Life

• Born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts.
• Orphaned at two years old (mother passed away, father abandoned the family).
• Taken in by the Allan family as a foster child.
• Started writing poetry at 13 and wrote constantly.

Education

• Enrolled at the University of Virginia in 1826.
  • Accrued debt due to gambling, which led to his withdrawal.
• Enrolled at West Point in 1830.

Personal Life

• Secretly married his 13-year-old cousin and publicly married her again in 1836.
• Lived with her until her death from tuberculosis when she was about 20 years old.

Writing Career

• Worked as a literary critic known for being harsh (referred to as the "tomahawk man").
• Barely made a living from writing during his lifetime.
• Published famous short stories in the 1840 collection "Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque."
• Known for using first-person narratives and themes involving opium, which led to assumptions about his own drug use.
• Invented detective fiction with "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" in 1841.
• "The Raven" (1845) was a major success and established his fame.

Death

• Died on October 7, 1849, at age 40 under mysterious circumstances.
• Disappeared during a trip from Virginia to New York and was later found in Baltimore, ill and in disarray.
• Died in a delirious state; cause of death remains unknown.

Legacy

• Considered the father of the detective story.
• His influence is evident in modern mystery, horror, and vampire literature.
• An American icon, admired even more than 150 years after his death.