Edgar Allan Poe is one of the great geniuses of universal literature, throughout his life, who lived unusual events, legends were created that ended up overshadowing the enormous value of his work, in particular, he was an extraordinary scientist, endowed with infinite creativity.
The world of mystery and horror literature was one before Edgar Allan Poe and the other after him. This great American writer is considered the inventor of the genre of the crime novel, he was also the renewer of Gothic literature and gave the horror genre an exquisite psychological component. .
- “I have no faith in human perfection.
- Is man now more active.
- Neither happier nor smarter than 600 years ago?-Edgar Allan Poe-.
He had a life full of difficult and even tragic experiences, we know that there were critics interested in presenting him as a depraved and chaotic being, largely succeeded. However, if Poe was certainly not a balancing model, it was also not the monstrous being they wanted to create.
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, United States, on January 19, 1809, to two traveling stage actors and had two siblings. His parents died when he was only 2 years old, he and his siblings were adopted by different families.
Edgar was adopted by the family of John Allan, a wealthy businessman who adopted him for charity. His mother’s death, as well as the traumatic relationships he had with his stepfather, were two recurring themes in his life and work.
With his adoptive family, he lived for a few years in England and Scotland, apparently it was from these experiences that he borrowed the Gothic atmosphere so characteristic of his work, then all returned to the United States, where Edgar Allan Poe studied at the best universities.
Edgar Allan Poe’s early writings were born at the age of 14, at which point he fell deeply in love with the mother of one of his companions and felt a platonic love when she died suddenly.
In his youth he was also a great sportsman and lover of astronomy, went to study languages at the University of Virginia, there he began to get used to games and alcohol, which led to his expulsion. His father-in-law hired him as an employee at one of his companies, but that experience didn’t last long.
In 1827 he secretly published his first book, Tamerlán and other poems, then entered the army, where he remained for years; later, his father-in-law helped him find a new job, but he was again fired. , has published two more collections of poems. In 1832 he moved to Baltimore, USA. And she married her 13-year-old cousin.
Edgar Allan Poe was repudiated by his adoptive parents, to survive he began working in several newspapers, taking notes and criticizing art, his sharp and elegant style gives him some notoriety, during this time he continued to publish his work. The Gold-Bug and The Raven and Other Poems dedicated it to literature.
His young wife died of tuberculosis in 1847. Her painful illness increased Poe’s fondness for drink and drugs. It is said that at that moment he began taking laudanum, an opioid with strong effects. Also at this time he began to have health problems.
He began looking for a new woman with anxiety, almost desperately, moved from one relationship to another without materializing, poe is said to have attempted suicide with laudanum, but had a vomiting attack that prevented him.
During these years she rediscovered a fleeting love of youth: Sarah Elmira Royster. The flame was lit between the two and they agreed to marry on October 17, 1849; however, soon after, the writer mysteriously disappeared.
He was found on October 3rd on the street, very confused and with clothes that did not belong to him. A friend of his took him to the hospital, where he died on October 7. You never knew what happened during those strange days of disappearance.
His autopsy has also disappeared and the exact cause of his death is unknown. It can be said that Poe’s work influenced all the great writers who succeeded him, it is moving, powerful and profound.