Author Snapshot: Poe, Edgar A
Author Snapshot Biography Edgar Allan Poe
A brief snapshot biography of the life and works of American Author Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe is one of America's most famous authors. A native son of Boston, Massachusetts born in 1809, Poe spent much of his life in Richmond, Virginia. After the death of his mother, Poe moved to Richmond initially to be raised by John Allan, of Ellis and Allan Tobacco Merchants.
Poe had a brief stay at the University of Virginia before a combination of financial difficulty and a row with John Allan prevented him from returning to school. Shortly thereafter he published a small volume of poetry in Boston (this was Tamarlane and Other Poems).
One little known fact about Poe's life was his two-year stint in the United States Army. It is hard to picture the king of dark romanticism in uniform. Following his time in the Army, a short stay in Maryland and beginning a teaching position at West Point, Poe wrote his second book of poetry.
Fired from West Point after only four years, Poe took the time to write a third volume of poetry. Still in Baltimore at this point, Poe branched out into prose, with his first stories published in the Philadelphia Saturday Courier around 1832. His published prose garnered him a position editing the Southern Literary Messenger a few short years after.
Around the time of his marriage to his cousin Virginia Clemm, Poe was becoming more and more well known for his stories and poems. His notoriety as an author was unable to assist him in getting a publisher for some of his stranger works, among them a series of "burlesque" stories, so Poe turned to his first novel length work, Arthur Gordon Pym.
Eventually Poe and his wife moved to Philadelphia, where he became the editor of two more literary magazines (Burton's and Graham's). His reknown as an editor eventually prompted a move to New York to work at the New York Evening Mirror.
Prior to his first phenomenal popular success with his poem "The Raven" Poe published a work of short stories called Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque. His success with "The Raven" inspired him to team with C F Briggs in publishing The Broadway Journal. The two also published two of Poe's books: Tales by Edgar A Poe and The Raven and Other Poems.
Now moving again, this time to Fordham, Poe's life took a turn for the worse. His wife died in 1847, causing Poe to carry a tendency to alcoholism to extremes, drinking away his grief. After some time had passed, while still drinking to the point of illness, Poe had several ladies he was courting, though none became serious.
Poe's death has always been a hotly debated mystery. Did he die of alcoholism? Of rabies? No one seems to know. In fact, the only certain fact of his death was the date: October 7, 1849
Online Resources for Edgar Allan Poe:
• Read The Masque of the Red Death
• Read The Fall of the House of Usher
• The Southern Literary Messenger: Poe's Works
• Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore
• Journal: The Poe Studies - Dark Romanticism
• Knowing Poe: A Resource for High School Students
• The Edgar Allan Poe National Historic Site
Technorati Tags: Author Snapshot Biography Edgar Allan Poe
