Edgar Allen Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, in Jan 19, 1809. His parents died before he was 3 years old and he was adopted into the home of John Allan who was a merchant in Richmond, Va. During his uneventful childhood he studied for 5 yearsin England. In1826 he enrolled in the University of Virginia but only stayed for a year. Poe was a good student but he made large gambling debts he refused to pay. He did not come back to the university and even broke off his engagement to his Virginia sweetheart Sarah Elmira Royster.
Being he had no means of support he enlisted in the army. By this time he had already written and printed his own book, Tamerlane and other poems. Later on he went to West Point and refused to to provide financial support. Later on he was dismissed from West Point for disobedience. His fellow cadets helped to contribute the funds for publication of his poems. Poe later on took up residencecy in Baltimore with his widowed aunt Maria Clemm and her daughter, Virginia. He later on started writing fiction aas a way to support himself.
In 1832 the Philadelphia Saturday Courier pulished five of his stories. Poe his aunt and Virginia moved to Richmond in 1835 and became editor of the Southern LiteraryMessenger and married Virginia who was not yet 14 years old. In January 1837 Poe annouced his withdrawl as editor in the Messenger. He stayed in New York City then in Philadelphia and again in New York to establish himself as a force of literary jouranalism. Over the years he discovered new forms of poetry.
He exemplifies a form in Ligeia (1838), he conidered his best piece of work The Fall Of The House Of Usher (1839). The Murders In The Rue Morgue (1841) was his first detective story, his musical mellifious verses are The Raven (1845) and The Bells (1849). Virginia died in 1847 it was very straining on Poe but he continued to write and lecture. Poe died in Oct 7, 1849 in Baltimore. He virtually created the detective story and he perfected the psychological thriller. He has a worldwide influence on literature.