A Biography of Edgar Allan Poe

            “Once upon a midnight dreary, while I pondered weak and weary” (Poe The Raven, line 1), Edgar Allan Poe vividly unravels his tale of “The Raven”.  Although Poe is born in a poverty stricken community of Boston on January 19, 1809, he manages to express his thoughts through morbid and bizarre entanglements of word play (Eston Chronology).  His life is no different than his writing style.  However, with every twist and turn of his life, Poe complements it with a totally unique, erratic poem or narrative.

            His encrypted ideas in part come from his father, David Poe, and his abusive treatment and heavy drinking.  David eventually deserts his family and vanishes forever.  On the contrary, his mother is a charming actress who dies of tuberculosis at the tender age of twenty-four (Groiler 22: 274-255).  His past experiences accumulates to the creation of dark, dreary compositions.

            Poe spends his early adulthood at Virginia University, West Point, and the U.S. Army, each in which he enlists for no more than one year.  During this time, he compiles several original poems into two volumes: Tamerlane and Other Poems, and Tamerlane and Minor Poems (Eston Chronology).  Poe also publishes a separate poem, “Al Aaraaf” (Chronology).  Little does he know that he is about to pursue a lifetime career of fine literature and poetry.  However, the road to and through this career is littered with perilous obstacles, including one that ends his life.  For three years, Poe isolates himself within New York and Baltimore (Chronology).  During this period of obscurity, Poe publishes another volume of poems simply titled Poems.  He never resides in any particular location, as he jumps from town to town.  Poe also publishes “Metzenyertein” (Chronology).  At this time, Poe and his works are still not widely known.

It is not until 1833, when Poe is twenty-four, that Poe’s prize-winning short narrative “MS. In a bottle”, is published in the Baltimore Saturday Visitor (Sons 409).  He gains considerable popularity for the story. Despite his fame, Poe still possesses his erratic behavior.  He frequents the pub hours after midnight.  Poe’s friends, knowing he gets drunk easily, often challenges him with an ever increasing dosage of shots.  Occasionally, Poe is found lying on the sidewalk in the morning, half-unconscious. 

Two years later, Poe becomes the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger (Barbet 3: 345).  With ample time and adequate financial security, he publishes “Berenice”, “Morella”, “Hans Pfaal.”  In 1836, Poe marries his cousin, Virginia Clemm, and leaves for Philadelphia.  Here, he serves as an editor for two publishers and writes the famous “The Gold Bug” and “The Tell-Tale Heart.”  After his success, Poe and Virginia finally settle in New York.  Poe publishes his poem, “The Raven”, which gains him immense popularity.  Eleven years after his marriage, Virginia Poe dies, leaving Poe despondent.  Only two years later, he is found on the sidewalk again in a coma, apparently from some heavy drinking.  Poe dies a day later in Baltimore on October 7, 1849 (Eston Chronology).

Although his death may prevent him from writing more poems, it is his bizarre and eccentric nature that makes his works outstanding.  A poet’s personality is greatly reflected in his poems.  Poe adds interesting variations to the existing library of poems.  These variations are important to the reader.  Poems of many themes will broaden our horizons and enable us to look at nature and life in many different perspectives.

Works Cited

Barbet, Richard. “Poe, Edgar Allan.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 1993 ed.

Eston, James. Edgar Allan Poe. Boston: Morrow, 1987

Groiler, Miheimi. “Poe, Edgar Allan.” Encyclopedia Americana. 1990 ed.

Sons, Charles S. American Writers III. Houghton, 1994

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