Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston. He is best known for his poetry and short stories. If you know anything about Poe, you know that his poetry and short stories could be ... well, a little on the creepy side.
In
my mind, and in the spirit of frights for Halloween, the scariest thing about
Poe is that he was also a literary critic. Now that's scary. Imagine being a
writer in that time period and learning that Poe had written a review of your work.
In all seriousness, Poe did have a reputation as being a rather harsh literary
critic.
His
work, scary and creepy as it is often perceived, is no laughing matter. Poe’s
contribution to literature in the United States and around the world cannot be overstated. Each year to this day, for example, the Mystery Writers of America
give out an annual award (known as the Edgar Award) for distinguished work in
mystery writing.
Poe
is also regarded as one of the first American writers to attempt to make a
living off of writing alone.
His
death, like much of his work, is something of a mystery. Poe was found on the
streets of Baltimore on October 3, 1849. According to Joseph W. Walker, the man
who found him, Poe was discovered “in great distress, and in need of immediate
assistance.” Poe died four days later at Washington Medical College, having
never recovered enough to explain how he came to be in such a condition. At the
time of his death, he was wearing clothes that did not belong to him. The night
before he died, Poe reportedly called out the name “Reynolds” throughout the
night, but never explained who “Reynolds” was. “Reynolds,” as well as Poe’s
exact cause of death, remain a mystery.
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