Edgar Allan Poe's Life
Edgar was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Before he even turned three, both of his parents had past away. Poe was raised by John and Frances Allan in Richmond, Virginia. John was a wealthy tobacco exporter and because of that Edgar had an excellent education. He went to the best boarding schools and eventually University of Virginia. Yet Poe was not there for a year when he was forced to leave, for he refused to pay his gambling debts. He returned briefly, moved to Boston and enlisted for the United States Army, in 1827. At this same time, his first poems were published. Two years later, he published a second collection. However, his poetry never received any recognition or publicity. Following his army service, he was admitted into the United States Military Acadamy and was forced to leave, again for debts. He went to live in Baltimore, Maryland with his Aunt Mrs. Maria Clemm and her daughter Virginia. It was in 1835 that Poe moved to Richmond with his aunt and cousin, and began to sell short stories and became an editor. A year later Edgar married Virginia. In the next ten years Poe became a major editor and really established as a poet. His wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis in 1847. Poe's struggles with depression and achoholism became even worse. He stopped in Richmond in 1849, then left to go to for an editing job in Philadelphia. Poe stopped in Baltimore unexplainably. It was on October 3, 1849, that he was found in a state of semi-consciousness. He died four days later of "acute congestion of the brain", however, further research suggests he may have been suffering from Rabies. Overall, American and International Literature was greatly impacted by Poe's work as an editor, poet, and critic. Today, Poe is remembered as one of the first American writers to become a major figure in world literature.