“Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered, weak and weary
Over many a quaint and curious volume of forgotten lore—”
With Catterina, his beloved tortoiseshell cat, perched upon his shoulder, and his young wife Virginia rocking before the fire, Edgar Allan Poe might have inscribed these words one dusky evening. Known today as one of the world’s most prominent 19th century writers, this solemn poet is the author of 69 poems and at least 30 books. His most legendary poem, The Raven, begins with the aforementioned lines and progresses into an eerie tale of a conversation between himself and an imaginary raven. Born into a family of writers, Poe published his first poetry collection, Tamerlane and other Poems, at the age of eighteen. Poe was the first to use the term “short story” and wrote several, often incorporating the tradition of Dark Romanticism in many of his narratives.
Born in 1809, Edgar Allan Poe was the second child of Elizabeth Arnold Poe and David Poe Jr., who were professional actors living in Boston. Since they were both performing in the Shakespeare play King Lear around the time of his birth, some have presumed that Poe was named after a character in the play: Edgar, the Earl of Gloucester’s son.
However, at a very young age, Poe became an orphan and was left in the care of John Allan, who lived in Virginia. Interestingly, it was this wealthy tobacco merchant who gave young Poe the name of Allan—it wasn’t originally his middle name.
Poe attended school in Scotland and England, later returning to Virginia to continue his education. Because of his overwhelming debts, Poe had to leave college before even completing one year. Still struggling with poverty, he joined the United States Army in 1827, the same year he published Tamerlane. When John Allan died in 1834, Poe attempted to make a living on his writing, and finally became an editor for The Southern Literary Messenger, a journal in Richmond. There, he married his young cousin Virginia Clemm. Before long, his writings began to attract attention, but he never had much money to support his family. Two years after Virginia died in 1847, Poe inexplicably traveled to Baltimore one September.
One rainy day in early October, a compositor working for the Baltimore Sun found Edgar Allan Poe lying in the gutter—in an alarming state of semiconsciousness. Four days later, he was dead, leaving no suggestion of what had happened. However, many suppositions have arisen as to the cause of his death. Some argue that he had had a deadly case of the flu, while others seem to think it more likely he was poisoned or even murdered. Nevertheless, none can be absolutely sure of their presumptions, and to this day, Poe’s death is shrouded in shadows, curiously emulating his many tales of eerie crimes.
Stories speculating about the mysteries of Edgar Allan Poe have only increased his legacy of mystery and made his writings more celebrated. Even today, people around the world enjoy his ingenious works, which have been translated into many languages, including French, German, and Spanish. Poe’s influence is evident in many ways: he coined the unique word “tintinnabulation” in 1843, encouraging young poets to use their own vocabulary in their writing. He also is said to have inspired Herman Melville’s widely commemorated Moby Dick. From these accomplishments, it’s no surprise that a football team (the Baltimore Ravens) was named after one of his poems! All in all, Edgar Allan Poe is still one of America’s most brilliant—and enigmatic—writers.
Picture Credit:
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/FBGRDjIXEAEHoNn.jpg
Sources:
https://reference.yourdictionary.com/facts/15-edgar-allan-poe-facts-man-behind-myths
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edgar-allan-poe
https://www.britannica.com/biography/Edgar-Allan-Poe
https://interestingliterature.com/2014/01/five-fascinating-facts-about-edgar-allan-poe/
https://www.thoughtco.com/odd-facts-about-edgar-allan-poe-4864323
https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poems/48860/the-raven
https://www.smithsonianmag.com/history/still-mysterious-death-edgar-allan-poe-180952936/
https://www.catranslation.org/blog-post/9-notable-translators-of-edgar-allan-poe/