Born in 1809 in Boston and died in 1849, Edgar Allan Poe is today considered to be the godfather of the Gothic horror literary genre. He is also one of the main figures of American romanticism. The man was simultaneously novelist, poet, short story writer, playwright, literary critic and publisher.
Edgar Allan Poe's stories are known to be particularly intense, sometimes giving readers the impression of experiencing the nightmares experienced by the protagonist. In real life, Poe has also had some equally eventful and dramatic times since birth.
The following list offers you some surprising facts about Poe's life if you are looking to learn more about the writer.
Edgar Allan Poe experienced tragedy at a very young age
Edgar Allan Poe was born to actors David and Elisabeth Poe. An alcoholic, Poe's father left the family when he was still an infant. As for her mother, she died of tuberculosis during her early childhood.
Orphaned at the time in Richmond, Virginia, Poe had a stroke of luck when he was taken in by a wealthy tobacco merchant named John Allan and his wife Frances. Poe later took the couple's last name as a middle name.
The game allowed Poe to finance his college education
Even though the Allans had a lot of money, Poe still had to scramble to find the money to fund his college education. Indeed, the couple had sent him to the University of Virginia with only a fraction of the funds they needed. To support himself, Poe started acting, but he eventually had to drop out of school in 1826.
Poe and his adoptive father were left out for a long time because of money problems. In 1827, Poe enlisted in the Army and served for two years.
His wife was his first cousin
A few months after leaving the military, Poe met his first cousin Virginia Clemm who was still a little girl at the time. Seven years later, in 1836, they married in Richmond. Poe was then 27 years old while Clemm was only 13.
Marriage between first cousins was not particularly unusual at the time. On the other hand, according to Poe's biographer, Kenneth Silverman, many people would have considered Clemm to be too young.
Edgar Allan Poe had also written love poems
Although he is best known for his Gothic horror tales, it should be noted that Edgar Allan Poe also had a talent for writing poems, especially love poems. At first his poems purposely imitated those of Byron, Keats, and Shelley, but later the writer refocused on inner journeys through the human psyche.
Among his most famous works are "The Raven" and "To Helen", the latter having been dubbed "one of the most beautiful poems in the English language".
Edgar Allan Poe wrote the first detective novels
Aside from his talent for poetry and Gothic horror literature, Poe also had a talent for detective novels. He was also the one who wrote the very first detective novels.
His first story, "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", recounted the work of an amateur detective, C. Auguste Dupin. Two other detective novels with Dupin as the main character then followed, namely "The Mystery of Marie Rogêt" in 1842, and "The Purloined Letter" in 1844.
Arthur Conan Doyle, the creator of Sherlock Holmes, said Poe had a key influence on him. "Where was the detective story before Poe breathed life into it?" », He indicated.
The writer's death remains a mystery
Edgar Allan Poe est mort le 7 octobre 1849. Les circonstances de sa mort sont toutefois étranges. En effet, quatre jours avant son décès, on a retrouvé l’écrivain dans un bureau de vote de Baltimore associé au « cooping ». Il s’agit d’une pratique électorale frauduleuse qui consistait à droguer des personnes afin de les forcer à voter pour un candidat spécifique dans des endroits différents. Poe figurait parmi les victimes. Il portait les vêtements misérables de quelqu’un d’autre et souffrait apparemment de délire. N’ayant plus vraiment repris conscience, on n’a jamais pu savoir comment il s’est retrouvé dans une telle situation.