Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer, known as a poet and critic but most famous as the "master of the short-story form" ( Edgar Allan Poe), especially tales of the "mysterious and macabre" ( Edgar Allan Poe). The literary merits of Poe's writings have been debated since his death, but his works have remained popular and many major American and European writers have "professed their artistic debt to him" ( Edgar Allan Poe).
Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. Poe was the son of "poverty stricken" (Edgar Allan Poe) actors, David and Elizabeth Poe. After his mother died in Richmond, Va., in 1811, Poe was orphaned. At an early age he was taken in a raised by John Allan, a "successful" (Edgar Allan Poe) business man of Richmond, Va.…
