Edgar Allan Poe was an outstanding American writer,
poet and essayist. He was born on January 19, 1809, in the acting
family. When Edgar was still little his mother died, while his father left
their family long before that. As a result, he was adopted by John Allan’s
family who was a rich merchant.
Later on, he was educated at a prestigious boarding
school in England.
At the age of fifteen he entered a prestigious university. As a student he was
often seen gambling and drinking, which provoked a series of conflicts with his
stepfather. After one of such conflicts he left his home.
His literary career began around 1827, when he
published a collection of poems. As a serious writer he launched his first book
in 1833. It was called “A manuscript found in a bottle”. Starting from 1840s he
worked on a number of detective stories, which brought him national
recognition.
Among his literary characters I can think of Auguste
Dupin. He combines his considerable intellect with creative imagination, even
putting himself in the mind of the criminal. Dupin was not a policeman, but he
solved the crime, using newspaper information. His talents are strong enough
that he appears able to read the mind of his companion, the unnamed narrator of
all three stories. Poe created the Dupin character before the word «detective»
had been coined.
The writer died in 1849 at the age of forty. Posthumous fame of Edgar Allan Poe is huge. His
original style of writing has found many followers. The subjects of his books
brought to life several directions in the literature.