The father of the detective story and the master of horror. His life was as tragic and mysterious as his tales.
Edgar Allan Poe is the architect of the modern horror story. He explored the hardest corners of the human psychology—madness, guilt, and paranoia. He invented the detective genre and transformed the short story, all while living a life plagued by poverty and tragedy.
1. He invented the Detective Story
Before Sherlock Holmes, there was C. Auguste Dupin. Poe invented the modern detective story with "The Murders in the Rue Morgue" (1841). He established all the tropes: the brilliant eccentric detective, the bumbling police, and the less-smart narrator friend.
2. His death is a mystery
Poe was found delirious on the streets of Baltimore wearing clothes that weren't his own. He died four days later in a hospital, never coherent enough to explain what happened. Theories range from alcohol poisoning to rabies, or even "cooping" (voter fraud kidnapping).
3. He married his 13-year-old cousin
In 1836, at age 27, Poe married his first cousin, Virginia Clemm. She was only 13, though the marriage certificate claimed she was 21. By all accounts, they were devoted to each other until her tragic death from tuberculosis at age 24, which inspired his poem "Annabel Lee."
4. "The Raven" made him famous (but poor)
When "The Raven" was published in 1845, it was an overnight sensation. It made Poe a household name across America. However, he was paid only $9 for the poem. He remained destitute despite his fame.
5. He was a ruthless literary critic
Poe earned his living mostly as a literary critic and editor. He was known as the "Tomahawk Man" for his savage reviews of other writers. He accused Henry Wadsworth Longfellow of plagiarism and feud with many contemporaries.
6. He was kicked out of West Point
Poe attended the U.S. Military Academy at West Point but presumably got himself court-martialed on purpose. He skipped classes and roll calls and showed up for formation wearing only his belt and gloves (according to legend). He was dismissed in 1831.
7. He loved cats
Like many writers, Poe was a cat lover. He had a tortoiseshell cat named Catterina. Legend says that after his wife died, the cat would sit on his shoulder to keep him warm while he wrote. Catterina reportedly died within weeks of Poe's own death.
8. He feared being buried alive
Poe had a phobia of premature burial, a common fear in the 19th century. This fear appeared frequently in his stories like "The Premature Burial" and "The Fall of the House of Usher."
9. The "Poe Toaster"
For over 70 years, a mysterious figure visited Poe's grave on his birthday (Jan 19). Dressed in black with a wide-brimmed hat, the "Poe Toaster" would leave three roses and a bottle of cognac. The visits stopped in 2009, and the identity of the toaster was never revealed.
10. He wrote a novel about cannibalism... that came true
His only novel, The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket, features a character named Richard Parker who is eaten by shipmates. Years later, a real ship Mignonette sank, and the cabin boy—named Richard Parker—was eaten by the survivors. A chilling coincidence.