In 1809, in Boston, USA, he was born Edgar Allan Poethe author who a few years later with his work would change literature forever and pave the way for detective horror fiction.

Edgar Allan Poe lost both his parents at the tender age of 2 and was eventually adopted by a family in Virginia. Knowing from an early age his love for literature, Poe tried to focus his studies in this field, but his family had reservations. So when it came time to attend University, the still ambitious writer finally had to support himself and that’s how he came into contact with the card game.

From this special “acquaintance” of his, in the end the author only got financial problems and was forced to leave his father’s house. Then, he decided to enlist in the army to earn a living. At the same time, Poe had turned to his literature, completing in the two years he endured in the army 2 novels.

Neglecting almost all his military duties, the author was finally able to get fired so he could devote himself to his true passion. Indeed, a few years later, specifically in 1833, Poe’s work would receive the recognition it deserved and the author would slowly begin to become known to the general public.

The recognition of the author and his untimely death

By 1840, the author’s reputation had begun to be established in the literary world, but his novel The Murders in the Rue Morgue cemented the author’s place in the literary circles of his time, and beyond. With this novel, Edgar Allan Poe had managed to pave the way for detective literature and set its foundations.

A few months later, and while Poe has learned that his wife is suffering from tuberculosis, the disease that deprived him and his mother, the writer begins to record his feelings on paper in a special way. Thus, his “Crow” is “born”, one of the most characteristic examples of American horror literature and one of the most famous poems worldwide.

Poe’s talent and distinctive pen were then at the top of the literary firmament, but Edgar Allan Poe himself was in his own personal quagmire, lost in alcohol and the pain of loss. His wife died in 1847, and while he tried to move on with his life, it was too late to make a fresh start for the wounded writer.

On October 7, 1949, Edgar Allan Poe, the author who raised and laid the foundations of the detective horror novel, died lost in the misery of alcohol and substances that “sucked” him in the last years of his life.

Apart from these well-known aspects of the life of the “king of the macabre”, however, there are 10 more details that shed light on the mysterious side of Edgar Allan Poe, which you may not have known.

Allan is not his middle name

The author was born Edgar Poe, but after the death of both his parents when he was 2 years old, his stepfather’s surname was added to his name. The author was adopted by the wealthy tobacconist John Allan and his wife Frances Allan, thus giving rise to the name by which he became known, Edgar Allan Poe. However, the same author chose to sign as Edgar A. Poe.

He was a champion swimmer

Besides being a talented writer, Poe was also an accomplished athlete. He excelled in boxing, long jump, rowing and swimming. In swimming, in fact, the author won a local record in Richmond, Virginia, when he swam 7 miles against the current.

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