Edgar Allan Poe may be best known for his short stories. He is considered one of the greatest American writers who ever lived which is quite an accomplishment because of the era in which he lived. Edgar Allan Poe wrote in various genres which is another reason that he stood out in the literary world. From his involvement with The American Romantic Movement to his ability to capture the mysterious worlds of fiction, he was an incredible master of words.

Born in Boston in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe lived a childhood of privilege. His biological parents died when he was young and he was raised by a couple from Richmond, Virginia. The couple, John and Frances Allan didn’t adopt Edgar but they offered him the luxury of a family unit. Later in life, he separated from the only parents he would ever know.
Edgar Allan Poe later married his cousin, Virginia Clemm who was thirteen when they entered into matrimony.

Edgar Allan Poe’s career began with a silent start with an anonymous short story collection. He later became an editor of a successful magazine in Philadelphia where his own personal writing career would begin to soar. The Penn among other works would be materialized as his writing became more and more recognized.

Edgar Allan Poe’s wife died of a common disease of the time. Tuberculosis claimed Poe’s wife in 1847 just two years after the overwhelming success of The Raven was published.

When Poe later died in 1849, his death was uncertain. Tales surrounded his death much like that of what he would have described in his own fictional stories. He was said to have died by his own hand with suicide leading him to death’s door. Other speculation led people to believe that Poe, like his wife, died of tuberculosis.

While the rumors were never confirmed by any measure of truth many were under the impression that drugs or alcohol could have lead to his death. Edgar Allan Poe was only forty years old when he died of unknown causes.