Edgar Allan Poe

Born in Boston in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe was an American poet, fiction writer, editor, and literary critic. Orphaned before the age of three, he was raised by the Allan family of Richmond, Virginia. After brief periods at the University of Virginia, in the army, and at West Point, he devoted himself to writing and journalism.

Poe worked for several literary magazines and became known for his sharp criticism, inventive imagination, and intense command of language. His poetry and stories explored grief, obsession, fear, beauty, and the darker corners of the human mind. “The Raven,” published in 1845, brought him widespread attention, while stories such as “The Black Cat,” “The Cask of Amontillado,” and “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” secured his lasting reputation.

He died in Baltimore on October 7, 1849, at the age of 40, under circumstances that remain uncertain. Though his work received mixed recognition during his lifetime, Poe is now regarded as a major figure in American literature and a lasting influence on gothic fiction, poetry, and the modern short story.