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Edgar Allan Poe - Author (1809-1849)
Poe was an American writer, poet, critic and editor best known for evocative short stories and poems that captured the imagination and interest of readers around the world. His imaginative storytelling and tales of mystery and horror gave birth to the modern detective story. 

Biography: Edgar Allen Poe (1809-1849)

Many of Poe’s works, including “The Tell-Tale Heart” and “The Fall of the House of Usher,” became literary classics.

Early Life and Family

Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. He never really knew his parents — Elizabeth Arnold Poe, a British actress, and David Poe, Jr., an actor who was born in Baltimore. His father left the family early in Poe's life, and his mother passed away from tuberculosis when he was only three.

Separated from his brother William and sister Rosalie, Poe went to live with John and Frances Allan, a successful tobacco merchant and his wife, in Richmond, Virginia. Edgar and Frances seemed to form a bond, but he had a more difficult relationship with John Allan. 

Related Links

Biography Article: Gothic Literature Essay: The Philosophy of Composition
Article: Poe's philosophy of death Article: Understanding Mystery Writing Close Reading Activities

Videos

Edgar Allan Poe: Buried Alive

How the inventor of the detective story became his own greatest mystery.

SOURCE: Smooth Arts (2018) posted on Clickview, Duration: 53:14 mins; Rated: PG, URL: https://clickv.ie/w/uIcp

Why Should you read Edgar Allen Poe

The prisoner strapped under a descending pendulum blade. A raven who refuses to leave the narrator’s chamber. A beating heart buried under the floorboards. Poe’s macabre and innovative stories of gothic horror have left a timeless mark on literature. But just what is it that makes Edgar Allan Poe one of the greatest American authors? Scott Peeples investigates. Lesson by Scott Peeples, directed by Compote Collective. View full lesson: https://ed.ted.com/lessons/why-should...

SOURCE: Scott Peeples (2018), Posted on YouTube by TedEd, Duration: 4:55 mins; URL: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8lgg-pVjOok&t=91s

Bizarre Facts You Didn't Know About E.A. Poe

No Edgar Allan Poe biography would be complete without examining the frequently bizarre circumstances surrounding his life. Although today Poe is universally admired and respected, his journey was a difficult and frequently depressing existence fraught with poverty, misfortune, and the death of numerous loved ones. Perhaps it is fitting that such an inventive writer who frequently created tales involving mystery, murder, and the macabre would endure such a haunted reality. Poe epitomized "the starving artist," a man who literally lived and died for his art. These weird, bizarre, and strange facts will help explain, "Who was Edgar Allan Poe?"

SOURCE: Wierd History (2020), posted on YouTube, Duration: 12:24 mins, URL: https://youtu.be/A_QhtJ4veL0

Teaching and Learning Rsources

Lesson: Poe & Bierce - The Unreliable Narrator Lesson: Poe & Bierce - Unreliable Biographers Lesson: Why you should read Poe?