Edgar Allen Poe was an American author best known for his morbid stories often full of suspense and mystery. eHe was one of the first American authors to make use of the short story and is considered the inventor of detective fiction as well as science ficition . Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His mother died when he was but two years old, just after his father abandoned the family. He was taken in by John and Frances Allan. He went to the University of Virginia but was forced to drop out due to lack of money. After enlisting in the Army, Poe lost touch with the Allans. He began his writing career in 1827, with an anonymous collection of poems entitled "Tamerlane and Other Poems." He spent the next few years living in Baltimore, Philadelphia and New York City, working as a publisher and a literary critic. He gained acclaim for his unique style of literary criticism. While living in Baltimore in 1835, Poe married his thirteen year old cousin Virginia Clemm. In January of 1845, "The Raven" was published to instant success. Two years after his first successful poem, his wife fell ill with Tuberculosis and passed away. On October 7, 1849, Poe died in Baltimore. His death still remains a mystery.
