Edgar Allan Poe: Biography

E. A. Poe (1808-1849) is an interesting and curious figure in American literature. His unique position among his contemporaries in the field of art, his lonely, haunting and homeless personality, his strange influence of French symbolists are the factors that have always aroused a wide interest.
-Born in Boston to traveling, itinerant actors, both his parents died rather early when Edgar was 3 year old and all his siblings were placed into different families
-He was placed in a family of rich merchant John Allan in Richmond. Although never legally adopted, he used his foster-father’s name as a middle name
-1815-1820 whole family Allan went to England, where he attended a school
-1826- University of Virginia at the age of 17 but expelled because of gambling debts, his foster father refused to pay for them, first conflict between them
-In the beginning of his literary career Poe supported himself as an editor of various magazines and journals. His neurosis, psychic instability, excessive drinking and dissolute way of living precipitated his death
-He run away to Boston and enlisted in the army for 2 years, he spent short time at West Point- prominent military university
-He lived with his aunt Mrs. Clemm and her daughter Virginia in Baltimore. He married Virginia at the age of 30 (she was 13), soon died because she was seriously ill -tuberculosis in 1847. After her death he settled into a mood of gloom which he never shook off. He wrote some of his best works as he slowly disintegrated physically and spiritually.

-He worked for the prominent literally magazines- MESSAGER, GRAHAM´S MAGAZINE as an editor, contributor
-1845- started his fame when he published the collection of poems included RAVEN
-Other titles: TAMERLANE AND OTHER POEMS
EL AARAAF, TAMERLANE AND MINOR POEMS
POEMS BY EDGAR ALLAN POE
TALES OF THE GROTESQUE AND ARABESQUE
THE RAVEN AND OTHER POEMS
3 areas in which he is significantly outstanding- literally critic, poet, short story writer
3 major types of short stories:
1.horror stories- gothic fiction (18th century in England)
THE PIT AND THE PANDILEM, THE FALL OF THE HOUSE OF USHER
2.detective stories- first to write about the couple of detectives (one smarter), psychological reasoning
THE MURDERS IN THE RUE MORGUE, GOLD BUG, THE PURLOINED LETTER
3.science fiction stories – extremely interested in hypnosis, hallucination, telepathy
SOME WORDS WITH THE MUMMY

He was the first American literally critic, he introduced an analytical approach to criticism based upon his wide knowledge of literature. Poe’s use of psychological abnormality heightened the effect of horror and mystery. Poe was a dexterous creator of moods, master of rhyming and a forerunner of the aesthetic movement which was to spread later in the beginning of the 20th century.