Virginia Lucas Poetry Scrapbook

Biography of Edgar Allan Poe

     Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, on January 19, 1809. Soon after Poe’s birth, his father deserted the family. Two years later, his mother died. Poe was then sent to Richmond, Virginia, to become the ward of John Allan, a successful exporter. While Allan’s prosperity allowed Poe a solid education, his childhood was generally a lonely affair. John Allan was a staunch believer in independence, an expectation he consistently foisted upon Poe.

     At six years old, Poe travelled with the Allans to London where he attended boarding school. In 1820, when Poe was eleven, the family returned to Richmond. By 17, he enrolled in the University of Virginia. Despite excelling academically, Poe’s time at university was plagued with debt and romantic turmoil. By the time Poe returned home after just a year, his resentment for John Allan was at an all-time high. He blamed Allan for sending him to university without sufficient funds and for the dissolution of his engagement to his sweetheart, Elmira Royster.

     Furious, Poe moved to Boston, enlisted in the army, and published his first book of poetry. After two years, he was discharged on the condition that he reconcile with John Allan. Poe did so, and Allan agreed to support him at the U.S. Military Academy at West Point. Unfortunately, Allan again failed to provide Poe with necessary funds and eventually dissolved their relationship. Following this blow, Poe left West Point for New York, where he published his third volume of verse. He eventually settled in Baltimore with his aunt and her young daughter, Virginia.

     In March of 1834, John Allan died and left Poe no inheritance. In August, he became an editor at Richmond’s Southern Literary Messenger. It was through this work that Poe become known not just for his artistic skill, but as a renowned literary critic. Finally, September saw Poe marry Virginia, his now 13-year-old cousin.

     Poe drifted in and out of financial stability. He took a variety of editorial jobs but never kept them long. In 1842, Virginia’s health began to decline. To cope, Poe drank in excess. He moved back to New York in 1844 and eked out a living working for a variety of publications. As Virginia’s condition became more and more dire, Poe withdrew from his social circles. In January 1847, she finally succumbed to tuberculosis.

     The last two years of Poe’s life were tumultuous. He proposed to multiple women, attempted suicide at least once, and joined the Sons of Temperance. In September 1849, Poe travelled to New York to prepare for his upcoming marriage to Elmira Royster, his boyhood sweetheart and an eligible widow. The events of the next week are unclear. On October 3rd Poe was found in Baltimore in a state of dishevelment and delirium. He was taken to a hospital where he died four days later. Theories about the cause of his death abound—ranging from plausible to absurd—but the general consensus is that he died after ingesting a lethal amount of alcohol.

“Edgar Allan Poe.” Poetry Foundation, www.poetryfoundation.org/poets/edgar-allan-poe. Accessed 20 Feb 2022.
Silverman, Kenneth. “Poe, Edgar Allan.” American National Biography, Feb 2000, https://doi.org/10.1093/anb/9780198606697.article.1601302. Accessed 20 Feb 2022.