If you look back on any historical writer you will discover that pretty much all of their lives were filled with depression. It is not easy being a writer (sorry for discouraging any of you who want to become writers). Out of all the famous American authors, Edgar Allan Poe’s life sucked the most. Was this guy ever happy? His works are known for their dark tone and disturbing stories. Based on the life Poe lived, it is no wonder why his imagination was so messed up.
Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts. The next year not only did his father abandon his family, but his mother died from TB (she would not be the first woman in Poe’s life to do so). He was adopted by John Allan and his wife. Poe and John got along as well as modern Democrats and Republicans, which seriously begs the question why John would adopt a boy if he was just going to hate on him. This bad relationship along with gambling debts caused Poe to drop out of the University of Virginia and join the army as a private on May 27, 1827. There he released his first book of poems; “Tamerlane and Other Poems (That No One Cared About)”. Poe discharged from the army in 1829 and moved to Baltimore to live with his aunt, his brother, his grandmother, and his first cousin, Virginia Eliza Clemm. He published his second book of poems; “Al Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems (That No One Also Cared About)”. Two years later his third book of poems was published. Poe used all his creativity as a writer to give the book the creative name; “Poems”. Just brilliant. No one cared about these poems either.
Over the next few years Poe struggled trying to make a living off of solely being a writer. He was an editor of several news papers and magazines. His writing talents did get him very minor positive recognition, but at the same time there were those who criticized his work. Poe acted maturely and became a harsh critic, who criticized the work of other writers that were more successful than him. Some might say he was “butt hurt”. During this time he married his first cousin, Virginia. If this is already a little disturbing to you then it will disturb you further to know that Virginia was 13 years old and Poe was 26 years old. Back then Virginia had to be 21 in order to marry, but Poe falsified her age, which makes this scenario even creepier.
A lot of the works Poe is known for today were written during this time. “The Murders in the Rue Morgue”, the world’s first detective story. This story has a twist ending that even M. Night Shyamalan would find ridiculous. “The Black Cat”, a story about a man who kills his cat, which comes back to haunt him. In the end the man kills his wife and tries to hide the body. The cat makes him go mad, thus he confesses his murder. Poe practically took this story’s ending and used it for his other story, “The Tell-Tale Heart”. There was “The Cask of Amontillado”, a story about a man who murders some one he is pissed off at for insulting him. Finally there is “The Fall of the House of Usher”. In this poem the character Usher creepily mirrors Poe. Both are people who have been driven mad by darkness and the loss of an important woman in their life. Also it is heavily implied that Usher has an incestual relationship with his sister.
It’s not a surprise that these works did not get Poe recognized in his time. All his works were just messed up. It’s like Tim Burton’s, Batman Returns. Point being that people usually prefer to read stories that are not just disturbing.
On January 29, 1845, Poe published his most famous poem, “The Raven”. He finally became recognized, but not financially successful. He only made nine dollars off “The Raven”. All that fame and he received only a little more money than what Walmart employees get paid per hour.
(An artist’s depiction of “The Raven”)
Poe had bad luck with women the next few years. Earlier I mentioned his mother died when he was young and that she would not be the only woman Poe would lose to TB. Virginia died from TB, leaving Poe devastated. He tried to date another girl, but she left him due to his unpleasant behavior.
The most intriguing thing about Poe is his death. A cold and dreary Poe was found on the street on October 7, 1849. Someone took him to a hospital, but Poe died two days later. No one knows how Poe died or how he was put in that critical condition. Even stranger, Poe was found in clothes that were not his own. Was it an illness that killed Poe? Or was he killed by someone? Suspects include Henry Thoreau, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and Mark Twain. Like the answer to the question of how many licks does it take to get to the center of a tootsie pop; the world may never know.
This has been the third installment of Interesting Biographies. Follow my blog for more posts like this in the future. Leave a comment if there is a person you want me to do a humorous biography on.
Blake Bradford 