Edgar Allan Poe

Background

His mysterious and macabre tales continue to send a chill down our spines, but we wouldn’t have it any other way while we delve into Edgar Allan Poe’s creative mind through his poetry. Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. He had two siblings, an older brother and a younger sister, and their parents were David Poe Jr. and Elizabeth ‘Eliza’ Arnold Poe. In a series of unfortunate events, their father, David, abandoned the family in 1810 and his mother passed away the following year, leaving the three children orphaned at young ages. The children had to be taken to live in different homes. Poe was taken in by John and Frances Allan of Richmond. He took Frances’ name ‘Poe’ later on in his life as his middle name.

Although Poe was never fully adopted, Allan showed affection for him, but as Poe grew up, Allan disapproved of his writer ambitions. He had previously been educated in private academies but was cut out of John’s will because he thought Poe was being ungrateful. This made Poe venture out on his own with the little money he had and he joined the University of Virginia in 1826. After months of gambling and trying to make money, he lost 2,000 dollars, which affected his relationship with John Allan for a number of years. It was in 1827 that Poe published “Tamerlane and Other Poems,” after enlisting in the United States Army. He, however, failed as an officer cadet and firmly declared his wish to be a writer and poet. During this time he parted ways with John Allan, even though they had reached a rapprochement in 1829 after his death.

Poe moved to Baltimore with his aunt, Maria Clemm, who had a seven-year-old daughter, Virginia, whom he married in 1836, and they all moved to Richmond. Poe continued writing different items, including poems and essays, and received the opportunity to work as the editor of “Graham’s Magazine” in 1841. Sadly, Poe did not have the best lifestyle habits, and he was greatly affected by Virginia’s illness, who began showing signs of consumption and later died in 1847. Poe was to be married to Mrs. Shelton but, unfortunately, while on his way to bring his aunt back from New York City where she lived to Richmond for their wedding, something strange happened. Poe was found unconscious on October 3, 1849, in Baltimore, Maryland, where he had made what was supposed to be a brief stop. He was taken to a hospital where he passed away four days later.