Edgar Allan Poe, Biography Of A Mysterious Writer
Edgar Allan Poe is one of the great geniuses of world literature. Around his life, which has known unusual episodes, have been woven legends that have ended up tarnishing the immense value of his work. In particular, he was an extraordinary storyteller, endowed with infinite creativity.
The world of mystery and horror literature has known a before and after Edgar Allan Poe. This great American writer is considered to be the inventor of the detective literature genre. He was also the renovator of Gothic literature and gave the genre of terror an exquisite psychological component.
He led a life of difficult and even tragic experiences. Some critics have bent on showing him as depraved and chaotic. To a large extent, they have succeeded. However, while this was certainly not a model of balance, it was not the monstrous being that has too often been portrayed.
A difficult childhood
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston (United States) on January 19, 1809. His parents were two traveling theater actors. He had two brothers. His parents died when he was only 2 years old. He and his siblings were adopted by different families.
Edgar joined the family of John Allan, a wealthy businessman who adopted him out of charity. The death of his mother, as well as the traumatic relationship he had with his stepfather, have been 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 drew the Gothic atmosphere so characteristic of his work. Then they all returned to the United States, where Edgar Allan Poe studied in the best schools.
Turbulent youth
Edgar Allan Poe’s first writings were born when he was 14 years old. At that time, he fell madly in love with the mother of one of his companions. He was living a platonic love with her when she died suddenly.
In his youth he was also a great sportsman and an avid astronomer. He began studying languages at the University of Virginia. There he got used to gambling and alcohol. This led to his expulsion. His stepfather hired him as an employee in one of his companies, but it didn’t last long.
In 1827 he secretly published his first book Tamerlane and other poems. He then enlisted in the army, where he remained for two years. Later, his stepfather helped him find a new job, but he was fired again. In the meantime, he has published two more collections of poems. In 1832, he moved to Baltimore and married his 13-year-old cousin there.
A “cursed” writer
Edgar Allan Poe was disinherited by his adoptive parents. In order to survive, he began working in several journals, taking notes and publishing art reviews. Its sharp and elegant style has given it a certain notoriety. In the meantime, he continued to publish his works. La Coccinelle d’or , Le Corbeau and other poems have devoted it to literature.
His young wife died of tuberculosis in 1847. Her painful illness only increased Poe’s appetite for alcohol and drugs. It is said that around this time he began to ingest laudanum, an opiate with strong effects. Also at this time he started to show some health problems.
He began to search for a new wife in a neurotic, almost desperate way. He went from one relationship to another without any of them coming true. It is said that at this time he tried to kill himself with laudanum, but strong vomiting prevented him from doing so.
The end of his life
In those years, he again met a fleeting love from his youth: Sarah Elmira Royster. The flame had rekindled between the two and they decided to get married on October 17, 1849. However, shortly after the engagement, the writer mysteriously disappeared.
He was found on October 3 in the street, very confused and in clothes that did not belong to him. A friend of his took him to the hospital, where he died on October 7. We never knew what happened during those days of strange disappearance.
His autopsy was also missing and the exact cause of his death is so far unknown. It can be said that Poe’s work influenced all the great writers who published after him. His literature was moving, powerful and deep.
Our thoughts Discover the tale “William Wilson” by Edgar Allan Poe which highlights the theme of the double, a very interesting literary theme.
