Literature · 1809–1849
Born: 19 January 1809 · Died: 7 October 1849 · Age at death: 40
Edgar Allan Poe died aged 40. He was born on 19 January 1809 and died on 7 October 1849.
American writer of macabre tales and poems, including The Raven and The Tell-Tale Heart, and a pioneer of detective fiction
Did you know?He married his thirteen-year-old cousin when he was twenty-seven years old.
Poe invented or reshaped several genres that remain hugely popular today. His story The Murders in the Rue Morgue, featuring the brilliant amateur sleuth C. Auguste Dupin, is often called the first modern detective story, paving the way for Sherlock Holmes. He also mastered psychological horror in tales such as The Tell-Tale Heart and The Fall of the House of Usher. His poem The Raven made him famous almost overnight, though it earned him very little money. He died at just 40 in mysterious circumstances in Baltimore, a fittingly enigmatic end.
Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American writer, poet, editor, and literary critic who is best known for his poetry and short stories, particularly his tales involving mystery and the macabre.
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“Quoth the Raven, 'Nevermore.'”
Profile
American writer, born 1809
Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on 19 January 1809.
He wrote The Raven in 1845.
He is credited with inventing the detective story.
He died in Baltimore in 1849.
Career highlights
Did you know?The NFL's Baltimore Ravens are named after his poem.
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