Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic.Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career.
Poe and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world, as well as in specialized fields, such as cosmology and cryptography. Poe and his work are popular in literature, music, films, and television. A number of his homes are dedicated museums today. The Mystery Writers of America present an annual award known as the Edgar Award for distinguished work in the mystery genre.
Born in Boston, he was the second child of two actors. His father abandoned the family in 1810, and his mother died the following year. the child was taken in by John and Frances Allan, of Richmond, Virginia. Poe attended the University of Virginia for one semester but left due to lack of money. His publishing career began in 1827.
Poe's best known fiction works are Gothic,a genre he followed to appease the public taste.His most recurring themes deal with questions of death, including its physical signs, the effects of decomposition, concerns of premature burial, the reanimation of the dead, and mourning.Beyond horror, Poe also wrote satires, humor tales, and hoaxes. For comic effect, he used irony. Poe wrote much of his work using themes aimed specifically at mass-market tastes.
The earliest surviving home in which Poe lived is in Baltimore, preserved as the Edgar Allan Poe House and Museum. Poe is believed to have lived in the home at the age of 23
In Boston, a commemorative plaque on Boylston Street is several blocks away from the actual location of Poe's birth. As of 2013, fundraising is proceeding to construct a permanent memorial sculpture at this location.
Selected list of works
Other worksPolitian (1835) – Poe's only playThe Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket (1838) – Poe's only complete novel"The Balloon-Hoax" (1844) – A journalistic hoax printed as a true story"The Philosophy of Composition" (1846) – EssayEureka: A Prose Poem (1848) – Essay"The Poetic Principle" (1848) – Essay"The Light-House" (1849) – Poe's last incomplete work
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