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By Edgar Allan (1809-1849), American writer.

Born on January 19, 1809 in Boston into a family of traveling actors. He became an orphan very early: in 1810 Edgar’s father disappeared, and two years later his mother died. The boy was taken in by the family of a merchant from Richmond, J. Allan.

In 1815-1820 Poe lived in England, where he was brought up in a boarding school. Upon returning to America, he studied at college. In 1826, he entered the University of Virginia, which he had to leave a year later because his adoptive father flatly refused to pay his stepson’s gambling debts. Having fled from creditors, Poe enlisted in the army, and in 1830 he became a student at the military academy at West Point. However, the hardships of military service turned out to be too much for the young poet, who by that time had published his first collections of poems. Leaving everything behind, he went to Baltimore, where his aunt lived, and devoted himself entirely to literary activity.

He wrote stories, poems, critical articles, and worked as an editor. In 1835, Poe was offered to head the journal Southern Literary Messenger. The improvement of his life allowed him to start a family - in 1836 he married his 14-year-old cousin Virginia. However, the happiness lasted only 11 years. The death of his wife from consumption in 1847 was a terrible shock for Poe, from which he could no longer recover. The writer fell into depression and tried to commit suicide. To drown out the mental pain, I became interested in alcohol.

Poe stands at the origins of several genres: science fiction (The Tale of the Adventures of Arthur Gordon Pym, 1838); horror literature (two-volume “Grotesques and Arabesques”, 1840); detective (“Murder in the Rue Morgue”, 1841; “The Gold Bug”, 1843).

This writer is considered an unsurpassed master of the short story, which under his pen could be tragic, humorous, “scary,” and fantastic.

Poe's early poetry bears the features of romanticism ("Tamerlane and Other Poems", 1827). In adulthood, he tried, with the help of his imagination, to overcome the finiteness of time and the inevitability of death (“The Raven” and Other Poems, 1845). In mysticism, Poe seeks answers to questions tormenting his soul.

- famous American writer, poet, literary critic and editor, representative of the American wave of romanticism, one of the first to write in the stylistic vein of symbolism and decadence. Edgar Allan Poe famous for its "dark stories", and at the same time is the creator of the detective story in its modern form and one of "fathers" science fiction.

Biography of Edgar Allan Poe / Edgar Allan Poe

Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe) born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, America, into a family of actors of a traveling troupe. Mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, was English, and her father, David Poe- American with Irish roots. Edgar had an older brother William Henry Leonard Poe, sailor and poet, and younger sister - Rosalind Poe. When little Edgar was only two years old, his parents died and the child was adopted by a merchant from Virginia. John Allan.

The writer's second name was formed from the adoptive parent's surname.

Edgar Allan Poe was a beloved child, his adoptive parents spoiled the boy, spared no expense on his upbringing, education and whims, he even had his own horse. The efforts and resources that his adoptive parents spent on Edgar, as well as his natural talent, made him a very talented child: he began to develop early, already at the age of five he read, drew, wrote, recited, and rode horseback. At the age of six, the Allans sent the child to an expensive boarding school in London, after which, in 1820, the future writer entered an American college. Edgar was a capable student and absorbed knowledge like a sponge, especially in literature, languages and some natural sciences. In 1826 Edgar was sent to the newly founded university in Richmond. At the university, Edgar also studied well and at the same time participated in student revelry.

Extreme talent and love for literature from an early age resulted in poetic experiments, fantasy plans and psychological experiments on oneself and loved ones.

After studying at the university for only a year, Edgar Allan Poe had a serious quarrel with his father, who refused to pay the young man’s gambling debts. The young writer left his foster parents' home and went to Boston, where he published his first collection of poems "Tamerlane and other poems", but the book did not reach the stores.

Left completely without money, Edgar Allan Poe enlisted in the army and received the rank of sergeant major. At the end of 1828, with the help of his adoptive father, the writer left the army. Meanwhile, in Richmond, his adoptive mother, Mrs. Allan, died on February 28, 1829. Traveling to Baltimore, Edgar Allan Poe met his paternal relatives and the editor of a local newspaper. William Gwin, which made it possible to send my poems to the writer John Neil. As a result of positive reviews, a collection was published "Al-Aaraaf, Tamerlane and small poems", hit the stores but not rated.

In March 1830, at the insistence and support of his adoptive father, Edgar Allan reluctantly entered Military Academy at West Point, although he was not suitable for age. In March 1831 he was expelled for another prank, and the poet again quarreled with John Allan, after which he went to New York.

In the summer of 1831, Edgar lived in Baltimore with his aunt, Mrs Klemm. From the autumn of 1831 to the autumn of 1833 was the most difficult period for Edgar Allan Poe; he reached extreme poverty. Working hard, the young writer sent his works to various magazines, won competitions, and managed to receive small fees. His adoptive father, who died in 1834, did not leave Poe a cent.

In 1835, at 27 years old Edgar Allan Poe married his cousin Virginia Klemm, who was thirteen years old.

From 1833 to 1840, Poe contributed to the Southern Literary Messenger in Richmond. In 1841-1843 he lived with his family in the suburbs of Philadelphia and worked in magazines Burton's Gentleman's Magazine And Graham's Magazine. In Philadelphia, Edgar Poe also intended to publish his own magazine "The Stylus"(or "The Penn"), but this venture failed. In Philadelphia, the writer's young wife became mortally ill: Virginia was sick with tuberculosis, and one day after singing a blood vessel burst.

The last years of Edgar Allan Poe's life (1847-1849) were years of loneliness, successes and downfalls, attempts to find himself. During these years, the writer fell in love or thought he was in love, and even thought about marriage. Those around him considered him a strange person, but he managed to publish several books. Edgar Allan Poe suffered from alcoholism and became increasingly nervous and irritable. Mrs. Shew, one of the writer's closest friends, decided to leave him despite the oath given to the dying Virginia. In September 1849 the poet gave a lecture in Richmond on "Poetic principle". Edgar Poe left Richmond with $1,500 in his pocket. Apparently, while returning to Baltimore, he encountered robbers who poisoned or drugged him. The writer was found unconscious, undressed and robbed. He died in a hospital in Baltimore on October 7, 1849.

The works of Edgar Allan Poe / Edgar Allan Poe

Poe wrote poetry since childhood, and at the university and military academy he created pamphlets on teachers. In 1827, a volume of poetry appeared in Boston. "Al-Aaraaf, Tamerlane and other poems". After being expelled from West Point, in New York the writer, using subscription funds sent by his fellow Academy members, published a third collection of poems “Poems of Edgar A. Poe. Second edition."

Poe made his debut as a prose writer in 1833, writing a short story for a literary competition in a Baltimore weekly. "Manuscript Found in a Bottle". He sent a poem excerpt to the same competition "Coliseum", but Poe’s story won. In the period from 1833 to 1840, the author published many poems and stories. The writer's most famous and iconic book was published in 1845. "The Raven and Other Poems".

The ominous, gloomy, idealistic atmosphere of Edgar Allan Poe's poems and stories is inspired by English and German romanticism (in particular the work of Hoffmann), while the poet himself denies the fact that only German literature influenced him:

The horror of my stories is not from Germany, but from the heart.

The works of Edgar Poe have been filmed several times since the beginning of the 20th century. In particular, Roger Corman made a series of films based on some of Poe’s works: “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1960), “The Well and the Pendulum” (1961), “Buried Alive” (1962), “Tales of Terror” (1962), “The Raven” (1963), “ The Enchanted Castle (1963), The Masque of the Red Death (1964), The Tomb of Ligeia (1964). In 2012, a film was released about the last years of the writer’s life. "Crow" With John Cusack starring.

Bibliography of Edgar Allan Poe / Edgar Allan Poe

Novels:
1838 – “The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket”
The Auguste Dupin stories:
1841 – “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” / The Murders in the Rue Morgue
1842 – “The Mystery of Marie Roget” / The Mystery of Marie Roget
1844 – “The Purloined Letter” / The Purloined Letter
Novels and stories:
1832 – “On the Walls of Jerusalem” / A Tale of Jerusalem
1832 – “Bon-Bon” / Bon-Bon, The Bargain lost
1832 – “Breathless” / Loss of Breath
1832 – “Metzengerstein” / Metzengerstein
1832 – “Silence” (Silence. Parable) / Silence - A Fable, Siope - A Fable
1832 – “The Duc De L”Omelette
1833 – “Four Beasts in One” / Four Beasts in One: the Homo_Cameleopard
1833 – “Manuscript Found in a Bottle” / MS. Found in a Bottle/
1833 – The Folio Club
1835 – “Berenice” / Berenice
1835 – “The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall” / The Unparalleled Adventure of One Hans Pfaall
1835 – “King Plague” (King Pestilence) /King Pest
1835 – “Celebrity” (Pages from the life of a celebrity) / Lionizing
1835 – “Morella” / Morella
1835 – “Shadow. Parabola / Shadow – A Parable
1835 – “Date” / The Visionary
1837 – “Mystification” / Mystification
1838 – “Tragic situation. The Scythe of Time" / A Predicament. The scythe of time
1838 – “How to write a story for Blackwood” / How to write a “Blackwood” Article
1838 – “Ligeia” / Ligeia
1839 – “The Conversation between Eiros and Charmion” / The Conversation of Eiros and Charmion
1839 – “The Devil in the Belfry”
1839 – “The Fall of the House of Usher” / The Fall of the House of Usher
1839 – “A man who was chopped into pieces. The Tale of the Last Bugabus-Kickapoos Campaign" / The Man That Was Used Up. A Tale of the Late Bugaboo and Kickapoo Campaign
1839 – “Why the little Frenchman wears his hand in a sling”
1839 – “William Wilson” / William Wilson
1840 – “The Business Man”
1840 – “The Journal of Julius Rodman” / The Journal of Julius Rodman
1840 – “The Man of the Crowd”
1841 – “Descent into the Maelstrom” / A Descent into the Maelstrom
1841 – “Eleanor” / Eleonora
1841 – “Never Bet the Devil Your Head”
1841 – “Conversation between Monos and Una” / The Colloquy of Monos and Una
1841 – “The Island of the Fay”
1841 – “Three Sundays in a Week” / Three Sundays in a Week
1842 – “Life in Death” / Life in Death
1842 – “The Gold-Bug”
1842 – “The Masque of the Red Death” / The Masque of the Red Death
1842 – “The Pit and the Pendulum”
1843 – “The Tale of the Ragged Mountains” (Incident on the Rocky Shores) / A Tale of the Ragged Mountains
1843 – “Raising the Wind or Diddling Considered As One of the Exact Sciences”
1843 – “The Black Cat” / The Black Cat
1843 – “The Tell-Tale Heart”
1844 – “Mesmeric Revelation” / Mesmeric Revelation
1844 – “Moose. Morning on the Wissahickon
1844 – “Angel of the inexplicable. Extravagant” (Angel of the Extraordinary) / The Angel of the Odd. An Extravaganza
1844 – “The Balloon Story” (Balloon Hoax) / The Balloon Hoax
1844 - The Literary Life of Thingum Bob, Esq
1844 – “The Oblong Box”
1844 – “Premature Burial” (Premature Burial) / The Premature Burial
1844 – “Glasses” / The Spectacles
1844 – “The System of Doctor Tarr and Professor Fether”
1844 – “Thou art the man who did this” / “Thou Art the Man”
1845 – “Conversation with a Mummy” / Some Words with a Mummy
1845 – “The Truth About What Happened to Monsieur Valdemar” / The Facts in the Case of M. Valdemar
1845 – “The Demon of Perversity” / The Imp of the Perverse
1845 – “The Oval Portrait” / The Oval Portrait
1845 – “The Power of Words” / The Power of Words
1845 – “The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade” / The Thousand-and-Second Tale of Scheherazade
1846 – “The Cask of Amontillado” (The Cask of Amontillado) / The Cask of Amontillado
1846 – “The Arnheim Estate” / The Domain of Arnheim
1846 – “The Sphinx” / The Sphinx
1849 – “Hop-Frog” (Little Frog)
1849 – Landor's Cottage
1849 – “Von Kempelen and His Discovery” / Von Kempelen and His Discovery
1849 – “How a newspaper article was typed” / X-ing a Paragrab

Film adaptations of books by Edgar Allan Poe

1913 – “The Prague Student”
1923 – “A Ghost Haunts Europe”
1932 – “Murder in the Rue Morgue”
1926 – “The Prague Student”
1934 – “Black Cat”
1935 – “The Prague Student”
1935 – “The Raven”
1960 – “The Fall of the House of Usher”
1964 – “Tomb of Ligeia”
1964 – “The Mask of the Red Death”
1968 – “Three steps in delirium”
1981 – “Black Cat”
1982 – “Old Detective” (television play)
1983 – “The Well and the Pendulum”
1990 – “Two Evil Eyes”
1990 – “The Well and the Pendulum”
1993 – “The Mummy is Alive”
2004 – “Prague Student”
2005 – “Sleepwalking” (“Madness”)
2005 – “according to Poe” (play,

Edgar Poe's biography is full of blank spots. This is due to the disdainful attitude of many of his contemporaries and the plight of the writer. In fact, the poet’s history began to be restored impartially only in the 20th century, but by that time little information remained about his life. Today Edgar Allan Poe remains one of the most mysterious personalities. There were many speculations about the circumstances of his death already in 1849, but the real reason for the poet’s death will most likely remain forever unsolved. However, this fact does not prevent millions of people today from enjoying the prose and poetry of the great writer.

Loss of parents, foster care

The story of Edgar Allan Poe begins on January 19, 1809 in Boston (USA). A future writer appeared in a family of traveling artists. Edgar did not have a chance to live with his parents for long: his mother died of consumption when he was only two years old, his father either disappeared or died even earlier. Then the boy, by and large, was lucky for the only time in his life - he was taken in by his wife Allana. Frances, the adoptive mother, fell in love with the baby and persuaded her husband, the wealthy merchant John, to adopt him. He was not happy about Edgar's appearance, but gave in to his wife, who could not give birth to her own son.

Edgar Allan Poe spent his childhood in Virginia. He did not need anything: he was dressed in the latest fashion, he had dogs, a horse and even a servant at his disposal. The future writer began his studies in a London boarding school, where he was sent at the age of 6. The boy returned to the USA with his family when he turned eleven. There he went to college in Richmond, and then, in 1826, to the University of Virginia, which had opened the year before.

The end of luck

Edgar quickly absorbed knowledge, was distinguished by physical endurance and a passionate, nervous character, which later caused him a lot of trouble. As biographers note, the latter feature predetermined his quarrel with his father. The exact reasons are unknown: either the young writer forged his stepfather’s signature on bills, or he was angry because of his adopted son’s gambling debts. One way or another, at the age of 17, Poe was left without funds and left the university, having studied only in his first year.

The young man returned to Boston, where he took up poetry. Edgar Poe decided to publish poems written during that period under the pseudonym “Bostonian”. However, his plan failed: the book was not published, and his already meager funds ran out.

Short military career

In such a situation, Edgar Allan Poe made an unexpected decision. He entered military service under an assumed name. Poe spent about a year in the army. He received the rank of sergeant major and was considered one of the best, but could not stand such a regimented life. Presumably, at the beginning of 1828, the young poet turned to his stepfather for help. After persuasion from his wife, he helped Edgar free himself from service. The writer did not have time to thank his stepmother: she died on the eve of his arrival in Richmond. So the poet lost his second truly dear woman.

Baltimore, West Point and the long-awaited publication

Having safely parted with the army, Edgar went to Baltimore for some time. There he met his paternal relatives: aunt Maria Klemm, uncle Georg Poe, his son Nelson. Finding himself in a tight financial situation, the writer settled with his aunt, and a little later returned to Richmond.

While in Baltimore, Edgar met W. Gwin, the editor of a local newspaper, and through him, J. Neal, a writer from New York. Po gave his poems to them. Having received positive reviews, Edgar decided to try to publish them again. The collection entitled “Al-Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Small Poems” was published in 1829, but did not become widely known.

The stepfather insisted on continuing his adopted son's education, and in 1830 the young man entered the Military Academy at West Point. Despite the strict daily routine, Edgar Allan Poe found time for creativity and entertained his fellow students with satirical poetic sketches of life at the academy. He was supposed to serve for five years, however, like last time, he realized at the very beginning of his training that a military career was not for him. Edgar tried to turn to his stepfather again, but another quarrel disrupted his plans. However, the poet was not at a loss: having ceased to comply with the charter, he achieved exclusion from the academy in 1831.

Attempts to gain recognition

The biography of Edgar Poe is extremely sparse in information about his life in the period from 1831 to 1833. It is known that he lived for some time in Baltimore with Maria Klemm. There he fell in love with her daughter and his cousin Virginia. The girl was only 9 years old then. Since the autumn of 1831, practically nothing has been known about the poet’s life. Some researchers of his biography believe that he could have gone on a trip to Europe. This fact is indirectly supported by numerous detailed descriptions of the Old World found on the pages of the writer’s works. However, there is no other evidence to support this theory. Many biographers note that Poe was very limited in funds and could hardly afford the expenses of the trip.

However, all researchers agree that the three years following his expulsion from West Point were productive. Edgar Poe, whose books were not yet popular, continued to work. In 1833, he submitted six stories and poems to a competition in the Baltimore weekly Saturday Visitor. Both were recognized as the best. For the story “The Manuscript Found in a Bottle,” Poe was rewarded with a cash prize of $100.

In addition to money, Edgar received some fame, and with it invitations to work in magazines. He began collaborating with the Saturday Visitor and then with the Southern Literary Messenger, published in Richmond. In the latter, the writer published the short stories “Morella” and “Berenice” in 1835 and a little later - “The Adventures of Hans Pfall”.

Magnificent Virginia

That same year, Poe, whose works were already more famous than before, received an invitation to become editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. To take up the $10-a-month position, it was necessary to move to Richmond. Poe agreed, but before leaving he wanted to marry his beloved Virginia, who was then less than 13 years old. A girl of extraordinary beauty captivated the writer for a long time. You can guess her image in the heroines of many of his works. Virginia's mother agreed, and the young people secretly got married, after which Poe left for Richmond, and his beloved lived in Baltimore for another year. In 1836, an official ceremony took place.

Less than a year later, after a quarrel with the publisher of the Southern Literary Messenger, Poe resigned as editor and moved to New York with Maria Klemm and Virginia.

New York and Philadelphia

The two years he lived in New York were controversial for the writer. Edgar Poe, whose poetry and prose were published in several magazines in the city, received very little for his work. He published works such as Ligeia and The Adventures of Arthur Gordon Pym, but made most of his money from his chronology manual, which was an abridged version of the Scottish professor's work.

In 1838 the family moved to Philadelphia. Edgar got a job as editor of Gentleman's Magazine, where he published several of his works. These included The Fall of the House of Esher and the beginning of the unfinished Notes of Julius Rodman.

Dream and reality

Working in different publications, Edgar Allan Poe was looking for something more. He dreamed of his own magazine. The closest he came to realizing the idea was in Philadelphia. Advertisements were published for a new magazine called Penn Magazine. What was missing was a little money, but this obstacle turned out to be insurmountable.

In 1841, Gentleman's Magazine merged with The Casket to create a new magazine, Graham's Magazine, with Edgar Allan Poe as editor-in-chief. He had recently combined the stories, poems and novellas he had written earlier into two volumes and published the collected works “Grotesques and Arabesques” at the end of 1840. This was a short period when everything seemed to be going well. However, already in March 1842 Edgar was again unemployed. The magazine disbanded, and Rufus Wilmot Griswold was invited to the editorial office of Gentleman's Magazine. The latter, according to one version, was the reason for Poe’s departure: to put it mildly, he did not like Griswold.

Then there was work at the Saturday Museum and the publication of several fairy tales and short stories for mere pennies. The only exception, perhaps, was the “Golden Bug”. Edgar sent him to a literary competition. “The Gold Bug” won and brought its author $100. Afterwards, the story was republished many times, which, however, did not bring income to the writer, since then it was a matter of the future.

New misfortune

Edgar Poe's biography is full of sad events. As researchers of his life note, the reason for many of them was his passionate character, tendency to depression and alcohol. However, one of the main tragedies - the death of Virginia - was not his fault. The poet's wife was sick with tuberculosis. The first sign of a serious illness, throat bleeding, appeared in 1842. The patient was on the verge of death, but after some time she recovered. However, consumption, which took Edgar’s mother, did not give up. Virginia slowly died over several years.

For the writer’s unstable nervous system, this was a heavy blow. He practically stopped writing. The family was again in dire need of money. In 1844 they returned to New York. New works written by Edgar Allan Poe were published here. "The Raven", the poet's most famous poem, was published in the Evening Mirror magazine.

The culmination of creativity

Today Edgar Poe is considered one of the best American authors. He laid the foundation for the “science fiction” genre; the writer’s books became the first examples of mystical detective fiction. Poe's main work, which brought him fame and recognition, but not wealth, was “The Raven.” The poem perfectly conveys the writer's attitude towards life. A person has only a short moment filled with suffering and hard work, and all his hopes are in vain. The lyrical hero yearns for his dead beloved and asks the talking bird if he will ever be able to see her again. This is Edgar Poe: “The Raven” is distinguished by a special internal tension and tragedy that completely captivates the reader, despite the almost complete absence of a plot.

The writer received $10 for publication. However, "The Raven" brought him more than money. The poet became famous, he began to be invited to lectures in different cities, which somewhat strengthened his financial position. During the year that his “white” streak lasted, Poe published the collection “The Raven and Other Poems,” published several new short stories, and was invited to join the editorial staff of the Broadway Journal. However, even here his irrepressible character did not allow him to prosper for long. In 1845, he fell out with other publishers and remained the only editor, but due to lack of funds he was soon forced to resign his position.

Last years

Poverty came to the house again, and with it cold and hunger. Virginia died early in 1847. Many biographers note that the suffering poet was on the verge of madness. For some time he was unable to work due to grief and alcohol and survived only thanks to the care of a few loyal friends. But sometimes I gathered strength and wrote. This period saw the creation of such works as “Yulalyum”, “Bells”, “Annabel Lee” and “Eureka”. He fell in love again and shortly before his death he was planning to marry again. In Richmond, where the writer lectured on “The Poetic Principle,” his literary work, Edgar Allan Poe met his childhood friend Sarah Elmira Royster. He swore to his bride that he was done with binge drinking and depression. Before the wedding, all that remained was to settle some affairs in Philadelphia and New York.

The Mystery of Edgar Poe

On October 3, 1849, Edgar Poe was found half-insane on a bench in Baltimore. He was taken to the hospital, where he died without regaining consciousness on October 7. There is still no consensus on the reasons for the writer’s death. Many researchers of the issue are inclined to the version of the so-called cuping. Poe was discovered on election day. At that time, groups were rampant in Baltimore, driving citizens into secret shelters. People were pumped with alcohol or drugs, and then forced to vote for the “right” candidate several times. There is information that Edgar Allan Poe was drunk at the time of discovery, and not far from the ill-fated bench there was one of these shelters. On the other hand, the writer was famous in Baltimore at the time and would hardly have been chosen as a victim.

Possible causes today include various diseases, from hypoglycemia and brain tumors to alcoholism and laudanum overdose. The reason for this confusion is the lack of medical documents and the first biography of Edgar Allan Poe, written by Griswold, an enemy of the writer. He exposed the poet as a drunkard and a madman, not worthy of trust and attention. This view of Poe’s personality prevailed until the end of the 19th century.

Creative heritage

One version says that Poe's death was planned by the writer himself, as a last spectacular gesture for the public, greedy for mysticism and horror. The poet subtly felt what the reader wants. He understood that romanticism was much inferior in popularity to mysticism, which tickled the nerves and kept one in suspense. Edgar Poe, whose stories were full of fantastic incidents, skillfully combined imagination and logic. He became a pioneer of the genre. Science fiction occupies a significant place in the writer’s works. Edgar Allan Poe's books are distinguished by their combination of imagination and logic. He laid the tragic tradition in American literature, formulated the principles of science fiction, and gave the world a mystical detective story.

Today Edgar Allan Poe, whose books are an inspiration for many people, is considered a representative of intuitionism - a philosophical movement that recognizes the primacy of intuition in the process of cognition. However, the writer knew well that creativity is also painstaking work. He created his own aesthetic paradigm and several works on the theory of poetry: “Philosophy of Creativity”, “Nathaniel Hawthorne’s Novels”, “Poetic Principle”. In “Eureka” the writer presented philosophical and epistemological ideas. Edgar Allan Poe's contribution to the development of literature, including many genres beloved by modern readers, is invaluable. Studying his biography makes you think about fate and purpose. Who knows if Edgar Poe would have created so much if life had been more favorable to him?

The “black aroma” of madness and sadness, which only a select few, or rather, the doomed, can feel. Brutal murders committed by non-human beings (whether an unknown entity or an orangutan). Mysterious beauties - more frightening than attractive, who return from the world of the dead only to call out, or even take away with them those who, by the whim of fate, lingered in this world. All these are images from the macabre texts of Edgar Allan Poe.

Poe's posthumous fame is enormous: his characters filled the collective unconscious, his plots became wandering, his works inspired not just many followers, but gave birth to entire movements in literature and cinema. The raven from Poe's most famous poem spread his wings in Hollywood, inspiring the dark films of the same name. The story about a black cat avenging his own death and the murder of his mistress has become firmly established in... Soviet children's folklore: the Octobrists and the pioneers, who frightened each other with this horror story (which acquired a completely modern flavor among children), hardly knew that they were retelling the plot, created in the 19th century by a consistent supporter of black slavery. And these are just a couple of many examples. A romantic poet who, as befits a romantic poet, wore elegant black outfits and amazed many women with his “poetic madness.” The founder of the detective genre, who brought into literature the private detective Dupin, a worthy predecessor of Sherlock Holmes (although, of course, if you nitpick, the elements of the detective story and unusual forms of this genre - the Chinese detective story, for example - appeared before Poe). And besides everything else. Edgar Poe is one of the founders of science fiction, black fantasy, horror novels, thrillers and suspense.

It would seem that the life of such a person should be shrouded in a cocoon of the mystical. This assumption is so obvious that a number of screenwriters and writers “invited the late writer to the pages of their works, where the ghost of Poe is eager to unravel the terrible secrets of the past, or Edgar himself, alive and well, helps the inspector find a maniac who commits bloody crimes under the influence of his terrible works.

The authors were echoed by biographers who expected mysticism and mystery from Poe’s life. Many of them willingly transferred to the pages of the writer’s biographies his own memories of fascinating and incredible things... which never happened to him in reality. Among these gullible and admiring people was Charles Baudelaire, who highly revered Edgar Allan Poe, translated his works and was inspired by them to create his own decadent and psychedelic texts. And also the romantic Konstantin Balmont, who decorated the essay about Poe’s life with an incredible number of poetic images.

In fact, there was little mysterious in the life of Edgar Allan Poe (although unusual things still happened from time to time), for the most part it was the tragedy of a man who, despite talent and perseverance, did not know how to take into account either people, or circumstances, or even yourself.

The paths of fathers, the crossroads of children

The favorite of Europe, Edgar Allan Poe, was born in America, in Boston, on January 19, 1809. Relatively soon, one of the few mysterious events connected with his fate occurred: Edgar’s father disappeared without a trace when the boy was two years old. Later there were rumors that David Poe had died (they even named the probable cause of death: transient consumption), interspersed with gossip that he simply left his wife after learning that their youngest daughter Rosalie was not his child. It was not possible to find out what really happened to David Poe.

On September 27, 1849, 38 years after the disappearance of David Poe, forty-year-old writer Edgar Poe set off on a short (it was supposed to last 24 hours) business trip from Richmond to New York. On September 28, he suddenly disappeared. On October 3 in Baltimore (!), a kind-hearted passer-by found a man unconscious and sent him to the hospital, not knowing that in front of him was a writer lost by his fiancée and relatives. A few days later, Edgar Allan Poe died in his hospital room. What happened to him in those days “erased” from his life and his memory (when he came to his senses, he claimed that he did not remember what happened to him) is still unknown.

A short tragedy by Elizabeth Arnold

Konstantin Balmont wrote about Edgar Allan Poe’s mother that she was “a girl without any country”: “... she was born in the middle of the ocean when her mother, crossing the Atlantic, left England for America. The mother died after giving birth to her, the girl had no father, and someone stranger, taking pity on the child, sheltered her, raised her and prepared her for the stage." The reality is not so poetic: Elizabeth Arnold's mother was a widowed English actress who went to try her luck in America. Following family tradition, Elizabeth appeared on stage early (she played her first role at the age of ten) and served very successfully in the theater. Her short life was difficult and full of losses: the girl’s mother died, and later, just a few years after the wedding, Elizabeth’s first husband, actor Charles Hopkins, died of a fever. The young widow married a second time to David Poe. This young man from a good, albeit poor, family left law for the stage. According to one version, he did this because he fell in love with Elizabeth, according to another, he dreamed of theatrical fame, according to a third, he had no luck in legal matters and hoped that he would become a successful actor. Unfortunately, he did not shine on stage, and, probably, if he had the opportunity to return to law, he would have done so - if not for himself, then for the sake of his wife, who was in poor health, and three small children. It is possible that this would have happened one day, but... David Poe disappeared, and Elizabeth found herself in a completely disastrous situation. David's parents took care of her eldest son, William Henry, but the two younger ones, Edgar and Rosalie, remained with their mother, whose health was steadily deteriorating: she suffered from consumption. Elizabeth Poe appeared on stage as much as she could, and when she became completely ill, spectators and colleagues tried to help her financially. The talented actress died at 23, tormented in addition to her own suffering by fear for the future of her children. An unimaginable tragedy.

Allan family

Two kind-hearted women - sisters Frances and Anne - visited Elizabeth during her illness. Anne was unmarried and lived with her sister's family, and Frances was the wife of John Allan. She felt sorry for Elizabeth, and with all her soul she became attached to little Edgar. Frances did not have any children of her own, so after the death of the young woman, Mrs. Allan took the orphaned boy into her care.

Edgar's childhood in the Allan house was happy. He was well off: no matter how things went in the Ellis and Allan trading company (and during the years of Poe’s growing up, there were ups and downs in the commercial business of the partners on the verge of bankruptcy), this did not affect the boy’s life, Edgar had the best clothes, trinkets and books, excellent teachers, your own pony, the opportunity to invite groups of friends. The boy, with his adoptive parents and aunt, crossed the ocean twice and spent five years in England and Scotland, the homeland of John Allan.

But it was not just about material wealth. Edgar’s adoptive parents instilled in him that he was talented, capable of great achievements, and in their habit of being condescending to his pranks and whims, the women of this family perhaps went too far: All his life he believed that no matter what he did, he would certainly be forgiven, and, moreover, most likely, without even an apology on his part.

"The Evil Genius" by Edgar Poe

Almost all biographies of Edgar Allan Poe do not spare dark colors, portraying the merchant John Allan as a callous and cruel person, almost the evil genius of the future writer. In fact, it is difficult to say who was the evil genius for whom. John Allan was an orphan from Scotland. He began his career in commerce from the very bottom, working for a wealthy uncle, but his enviable hard work and undoubted talent allowed him to open his own business together with his former colleague Ellis.

Pity for the orphaned child, public opinion, and most of all the great desire of his wife and her sister to keep the baby with them forced him to agree that Edgar settled in their house. He became deeply attached to the boy, but... John Allan, who went through a difficult school of life (orphanhood, hard work, emigration, which forced him to leave his homeland and relatives), was accustomed to being grateful for the relatively little that his relatives did for him, and not to wait more. The boy who lived in his house took everything he received for granted and never felt particularly grateful for anything.

Mr. Allan knew the value of money, and Edgar spent it recklessly. With age, his demands grew, and yet he, a fairly mature guy, continued to treat dollars like a spoiled child.

John Allan was hardworking - Edgar, it seemed, did not strive for any work, not particularly hiding the fact that he was counting in life on the inheritance that he would one day receive from his adoptive father (over time, this amount became significant: Allan's rich uncle unexpectedly left his nephew an impressive portion his condition). At the same time, John had two illegitimate children, whom he generously helped financially all his life and to whom he was going to bequeath (and bequeathed) a significant part of his money.

John Allan knew how, if necessary, to cope with his feelings, while his adopted son easily fell into hysterics and could shower anyone with insults. Mr. Allan believed (and this was the natural state of affairs at that time) that the minor youth for whom he was responsible should live by his rules, and Edgar Allan did not think of taming his capricious temper and adapting to the demands of the head of the family. Note that this was not the relatively democratic and psychological 20th century, but the terry 19th century - a time when obedience to elders was considered an absolutely necessary quality of a young man. Moreover, it took place in the slave-holding south of America, with its rather patriarchal and cruel morals. Even the kindest Aunt Polly in Mark Twain’s novel says about her favorite little Tom Sawyer: “He who does without a rod ruins a child,” heartily blaming himself for whipping his nephew too rarely and thus spoiling him. By such standards, John Allan showed miracles of gentleness towards his adopted son.

Let's add one more thing to this: throughout his life, Edgar Allan Poe let down people with whom he had business or personal relationships, was extremely arrogant, loved to manipulate others, suffered from mood swings, came out of most business ventures with a scandal, blaming his partners for everything , employers and mysterious “enemies” (in a word, anyone, just not himself), and could slander anyone, without, it seems, having anything sacred. For example, soon after the death of his beloved wife Virginia, he wrote to a potential lover that he had never loved his wife and married her only for her happiness, neglecting his own. So he betrayed the woman he loved with one stroke of his pen. But letters have been preserved where he wrote that if he does not marry Virginia, then he has no reason to live. In short, Edgar Allan Poe was, to put it mildly, no gift. Of course, there is a possibility that Poe acquired all these unattractive qualities as an adult. But it seems that they developed in him already in his early youth, and John Allan watched with alarm as yesterday's nervous and difficult boy turned into a rather unpleasant and childish young man, looking at whom his adoptive father, perhaps, increasingly found himself relieved that this young man is not his own son.

After Edgar completed his schooling in Richmond, he continued his studies at the University of Charlottesville. By this time, Edgar was a handsome and athletic young man, an excellent swimmer, well versed in academic subjects, and even wrote poetry.

At the university, Edgar studied brilliantly, which did not stop him from running up huge debts in stores (where he had unlimited credit under the responsibility of his adoptive father), no less gambling debts, and indulging in drunken revelry. When an enraged Allan reprimanded Edgar for his behavior towards the end of the school year, instead of an apology he received... reproaches. It turns out that he himself is to blame: after all, Edgar, according to him, played only because he did not have enough money. Considering the fact that his mother and aunt usually generously provided the young man with cash (both friends and teachers at school were always surprised at the large sums of his pocket money), and also taking into account the same unlimited credit in local stores and the fact that a significant part of the taken borrowed from shopkeepers and spent on partying with friends, the young man’s self-whitening version does not stand up to criticism. To top it all off, it turned out that Poe tried to forge his adoptive father's signature on the bill. John Allan repaid the young man’s loans in stores, but flatly refused to pay the “debts of honor,” believing that the young gambler should extricate himself.

It is not surprising that at the end of the school year, John Allan said that he did not want Edgar to continue his studies at the university - the young rake already received a fairly good education, much better than Allan himself had. With such knowledge it is quite possible to earn money and make a career. And if you want to continue your education, well, great: self-education will help! Yes, not an all-forgiving approach, but not a frighteningly cruel approach either.

For the next six months, Poe lived at home on his adoptive father's money, making only rather feeble attempts to find a job to pay off his huge gambling debts, and not showing a shadow of remorse, only blaming Allan for ruining his life "on the influence of a momentary whim."

Edgar's antics, the troubles he got into, the tense home environment, aggravated by constant quarrels between the two men, worsened the already poor health of Frances Allan: her consumption progressed (a disease in which, as is known, any stress is destructive) . John probably thought a thousand times that if 15 years ago he had shown perseverance and refused to accept little Edgar into the family, his wife would have suffered for some time and calmed down, but because he, succumbing to weakness, let him into their family The life of this boy, his beloved woman, is doomed to constant experiences that will probably bring her death closer.

Elmira Royster - lost love

In addition to the loss of the opportunity to study, Edgar experienced the loss of his beloved girl. Even before leaving for university, he fell in love with a young neighbor, fifteen-year-old Elmira Royster. The feeling was mutual, and the young people secretly got engaged from their parents. But the girl’s father did not consider Edgar a suitable match for his daughter, so he intercepted love letters that the young man wrote to his bride from the university, making Elmira believe that Edgar had forgotten about her. At the same time, he systematically prepared the ground for his daughter’s marriage to another young man, Alexander Shelton - wealthy, independent and balanced. Royster's plan worked: he separated the young couple. Elmira married someone else.

Edgar, having learned that his beloved girl had left him, was inconsolable. Moreover, for him this was already the second loss of his beloved: very young, almost a teenager, he was in love with the mother of his classmate, Jane Stanard. There was a lot of filialness in this feeling with a bit of romance, but often such relationships, while remaining platonic, grow into friendship with a hint of flirtation. But this story had a truly sad ending: the unfortunate woman, whom Edgar poetically called “Helen” in poems and notes (by analogy with the beautiful Queen of Troy), lost her mind and died of an unknown illness a year after they met. And now he has lost Elmira too, considering, moreover, that she left him of her own free will. ...Oddly enough, some biographers (for example, Hervey Allen) manage to blame John Allan for this tragic event. They say that if he had told Royster that he would leave his adopted son a good inheritance, the girl’s father would have agreed to the marriage of Edgar and Elmira. First of all, it’s not a fact. Besides money, there was also a character factor: Royster may have been observant enough to draw his own conclusions about young Edgar. Secondly, Edgar never asked John Allan to help his marriage with Elmira, he did not even inform his adoptive father that he had proposed to the girl.

And finally, Hervey Allen does not take into account that facilitating this marriage could be contrary to the sincere convictions of John Allan: he saw perfectly well that his adopted son was an unreliable young man with incipient bad habits and a difficult character, not inclined to repent of his mistakes or learn from them . Perhaps this responsible and well-lived man simply did not want such a husband for a very young and inexperienced girl, the daughter of his good friend. So why should John Allan go against his conscience in such a matter? By the way, if Allan was guided precisely by these considerations, then he was absolutely right: Edgar Allan Poe’s future wife tasted in full his irresponsibility, his drunkenness, and his nasty antics. Moreover, the story of Elmira Royster was not a situation where parents simply allowed young people to make their own mistakes - initially this marriage could only take place if John Allan actually signed that he would pay for Poe’s mistakes. After all, Edgar himself did not earn money (as practice has shown, in the future he could not adequately support his family for any long time, and what he did earn, he often drank away), therefore, it was possible to defend the possibility of his marriage to Elmira, only by providing (and continuing to provide, since he has already undertaken) Poe’s future family financially.

"One Bostonian"

After another quarrel with his adoptive father, Edgar Allan Poe left home. John finally posed the question bluntly: either you live by my rules, find a job, pay off your debts - or leave.

In a letter sent the next day, the young man announced that he was acting not under the influence of impulse, but out of long-standing and mature reflection and did not want to have anything to do with Allan. He also asked... to send money and a chest with his clothes. John left the letter unanswered. Two days later, Edgar again asked for money, saying that he was poor and starving. John Allan reminded him that less than a week had passed since Poe broke with him “forever,” refusing to live according to the laws of his house.

For some time, Edgar lived on the money that his mother and aunt gave him, and then he went to try his luck away from his hometown. First he went to Boston, where he published a book of poems under the pseudonym “One Bostonian” - it was a collection of his early, not yet very mature works, some passages of which, however, were quite figurative and interesting in form.

For some time he lived in the family of relatives of David Poe, and then, having failed to achieve success in other fields (he could not find a job, the book was not popular: as it turned out, it was not enough to print, it was also necessary to advertise, and for this there were no connections, no material opportunities), entered the army.

Edgar Allan Poe served under an assumed name and was successful: he was transferred to headquarters and received non-commissioned officer stripes. His contract was signed for 5 years, but after 2 years he wrote to John Allan asking him to help him leave the garrison. Edgar could only do this by informing his superiors that he had reconciled with his relatives, and also by paying the person who was supposed to replace him in the service. After much hesitation (it seemed to John that the army could “make a man” out of a spoiled boy - a common point of view, which sometimes even justifies itself), his adoptive father agreed to intervene in the situation. True, there was a hitch: the payment to a replacement colleague was usually 12 dollars, and Poe paid his... 75. Otherwise, he had to wait, and he was in a hurry to leave the service. This surprise was not, of course, ruinous for Allan, who had become rich, but it evoked not very pleasant memories of Edgar’s unjustified expenses and frauds that had taken place in the past. By the way, Allan’s suspicions were justified: Poe incurred gambling debts in the army, and his creditors turned to Allan in the following years. The ambiguity of the situation did not improve the relationship between father and son. Edgar claimed that he wanted to enter the military academy, and his adoptive father, with the help of letters of recommendation and regular expenses, helped him do this.

During his studies, Edgar experienced a terrible loss for the second time: his second mother, Frances Allan, the woman who gave him the fullness of maternal love, died of consumption, like the first. It’s scary to imagine how this affected the young man: it’s not for nothing that in Poe’s texts the image of a dying or deceased woman is so often found, destroying with her death the life and/or mind of the lyrical hero; It’s not for nothing that in general his texts have such a strong theme of frightening and all-powerful death, conquering life, love, and hope. Life for Poe always loses to decay, and, given his life and moral experience, this is not at all surprising.

Poe was only a day late in Richmond, missing out on seeing Frances before he died. The common grief briefly softened the two men: John warmly welcomed Edgar at home, completely updated his secular wardrobe, thought about how he could help the young man in life, and even Edgar began to call John “pa” in his letters, which had not happened for a long time.

West Point Military Academy was a quality educational institution: cadets were trained for 4 years in the natural sciences, chemistry, advanced mathematics, engineering, ballistics, drafting, law, foreign languages and philosophy. Edgar hoped that, thanks to his brilliant abilities, he would be able to complete his studies in a short time (in any other place he most likely would have succeeded). But it turned out that this was simply impossible: in addition to theory, there was also military practice, designed for the entire training period. Poe was not ready for this and a year later began to demand that Allan take him away from the academy.

To say John was disappointed would be an understatement. He hoped that Edgar had finally come to his senses and become interested in something. Let's not forget that it was very difficult to get Poe into the academy: the competition exceeded 10 people per place, and we had to wait more than a year. In addition, at this time, John Allan received several demands to pay Edgar’s next “debts of honor” made while still in the army, and he was also given a letter from Edgar, in which he described Allan as a man who “is rarely sober” - this lie was as ridiculous as it is pointless. Offended to the core, John Allan stopped responding to Edgar's letters.

He, without receiving the support of his adoptive father, deliberately abandoned his studies in order to be expelled from the academy. And he succeeded. If Edgar Poe had been as successful in creation as in destruction, he would have been second to Mark Twain in terms of wealth and success.

Mrs. Klemm

A short stay in New York (no friends, no certainty, but big health problems: a cold and severe otitis media) ended with the publication of the author’s second book, called simply “The Poems of Edgar A. Poe” and even causing several good reviews, but not brought money.

In search of shelter, Edgar moved to Baltimore, to the house of his aunt, David Poe’s younger sister, Mrs. Klemm. Maria Clemm was a widow with two children, single-handedly supporting a large, unhappy family: grandmother Poe lived out her last years, lying paralyzed, Maria's eldest nephew, Edgar's brother Henry William, was dying of tuberculosis and alcoholism, Mrs. Clemm's son Henry drank bitters, and her youngest daughter Virginia was still a little girl of nine years old.

Edgar spent the next few years virtually dependent on this courageous woman with a highly developed maternal instinct. Edgar was exceptionally lucky with mothers: having accepted him into the family, Maria became his kind genius until the end of his days. Mrs. Klemm was an ideal housekeeper, knew how to save every penny, cooked well “from nothing,” was very neat, loved her family and never lost heart. Unfortunately, all these wonderful qualities did not provide a means of livelihood. At the slightest opportunity, she earned money by sewing, and when this did not help, Mrs. Klemm had to beg food from relatives and friends. She did this without losing her dignity, and they helped her. Henry's family lived on these food donations and rare earnings.

Sad events—deaths—were rid of extra mouths to feed: Poe’s old grandmother suffered torment, family consumption claimed the life of brother Edgar. Mrs. Klemm's son hired himself as a sailor on a ship, left his father's home and, with no small probability, died in foreign lands.

Meanwhile, luck flashed for Edgar Allan Poe: he sent his story “Metzengerstein” to a literary competition, did not receive first place, but was noticed. He became a journalist in several publications, and his stories began to be published. A little later, his work “The Manuscript Found in a Bottle” received first place in another literary competition, and Poe won one hundred dollars, which actually saved the family from starvation.

Sow character, reap destiny...

After Frances' death, John Allan decided to marry his late wife's sister. He was an elderly man, he did not count on crazy passions, and a calm, family-filled marriage with a woman whom he had known for a long time (they got along well, learned each other’s habits while living under the same roof), seemed to him a welcome quiet haven.

This supposed marriage was destroyed by... Edgar Allan Poe. The aunt's favorite, he passionately convinced her not to agree to an alliance with Allan, recalled all the sins of her adoptive father, and insisted that getting married only a year after Frances' death was a crime. Anna refused John Allan.

A couple of years later, it turned out that Edgar Poe had outdone himself: while visiting friends, John Allan met thirty-year-old Louise Patterson, fell in love with her and proposed. The feeling turned out to be mutual, Miss Patterson said yes, married Allan and bore him two children.

Aunt Anna would have defended Edgar's interests to the last drop of blood, and Louise Allan had no obligations to the stranger Poe.

Over the years, Poe received money from John Allan several times, although he agreed to help only in the most critical situations - for example, when Edgar was threatened with prison time for debts.

Deciding to make peace with his adoptive father and ask for permanent benefits, Edgar returned to Richmond, but... had a row with John's second wife. An ugly scene ensued in which Edgar Allan Poe seemed to play all the cards necessary to lose: he declared that Louise Allan had no right to turn his room into a guest room (that is, to dispose of his own house), accused her of marrying Jonah, only for mercantile reasons (it was especially disgusting to hear this from the “unmercenary” Poe, who dreamed of his adoptive father’s money), told her nasty things about her and her children, not even sparing the baby in the cradle. And he didn’t even find the courage to wait for John Allan, whom his family had called from the office with a note, he simply ran away cowardly, insulting the woman. Reconciliation did not work out.

The last time Edgar came to the already seriously ill John Allan, who ordered that his former pupil not be allowed in: the old man wanted to save his nerves. But Edgar broke into the house for the sake of... another ugly scene, which ended with John Allan driving him out with a stick. After this difficult episode, the patient’s condition deteriorated sharply, and a short time later John Allan died, providing for his wife, legitimate and illegitimate children and leaving nothing for Edgar Allan Poe.

There is one book that Edgar Allan Poe could never have written: “How to Win Friends and Influence People.” Unless, of course, we are talking about a positive influence.

Poet, writer, journalist

Without stopping his poetic creativity, Poe began to develop as a journalist and prose writer. His short stories and short stories appear in newspapers, and he publishes reviews of books and articles. In 1835, he received an offer of permanent cooperation from the Southern Literary Messenger, a small publication that had only 700 subscribers, and moved to Richmond. Editor-in-chief Mr. White is endlessly pleased with the new employee: Invaluable. He is talented, hardworking, and his work attracts more and more readers and subscribers. He is developing as a critic (in the first year of work in the magazine alone, 37 of his reviews were published) and as a prolific writer. During the few years that he worked at Southern Literary Messenger, the number of subscribers skyrocketed to 3,500 people!

But all this is true only for those periods when Poe is sober. His sprees cancel out everything. Unfortunately, this was Poe's constant style of work. Poe's criticism was interesting, original, beautifully written and... invariably angry. During his long work in this field, he had few good things to say about anyone, and the extreme bile with which he usually wrote about the texts of his victims betrayed completely undisguised envy of others’ success.

His abilities as a writer are expanding: he publishes the classic textbook “The First Book of the Conchiologist” - an illustrated guide to mollusk shells (by the way, went through 4 reprints), and a lot of extraordinary stories - from “Maelzel’s Chess Machine”, where Poe scientifically accurately described a mechanical chess player who across America with its creator and always defeating human chess players, to the mystic-romantic “Ligeia”, “The Fall of the House of Usher”.

Virginia - Lady Ligeia

Edgar Poe and Virginia Klemm were married in secret when the writer's cousin was 13 years old. Edgar Poe was in love with Virginia, the young girl reciprocated his love and admiration. Maria Klemm loved “dear Eddie” like a son.

At first, it was decided to postpone the wedding for several years, but Maria's brother Nelson Poe unexpectedly wanted to take his niece into his family to help his sister living in poverty.

Edgar, frightened by another loss of his beloved, as well as the loss of a family that gave him no less love and forgiveness than Francis and Anna, insisted on immediate marriage as a kind of guarantee of his position. Most likely, Edgar and Virginia's relationship did not become sexual until Virginia was 15. Then they had another wedding - it was easier than explaining to relatives and friends back home that they had been deceived for the previous two years. Moreover, Mrs. Klemm’s brother helped his sister financially, but it is one thing to help two single women, and another to support Edgar Allan Poe’s wife and mother-in-law. A fifteen-year-old bride is, by our standards, too young, but Edgar Allan Poe’s mother was the same age when she got married for the first time. This was a fairly early, but quite acceptable age for marriage at that time.

Virginia Poe was a kind, meek, hardworking girl: she helped her mother run the house and save the family by sewing when times got tough. She loved to play music, playing the harp and harpsichord, was happy when Edgar read aloud to her, and loved to grow flowers.

Meanwhile, life threw Poe from city to city. He got work in magazines in Richmond, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and traveled to give lectures in the northern states. His creativity grew stronger, and against the backdrop of constant literary successes, real masterpieces appeared. The only problem was that money was just as bad almost all the time.

Writing as such in America at that time could not be a source of livelihood. As a rule, writers had some other source of income - a wife's dowry, a position in the government or journalistic service. Poe was no exception. He published several collections, the poem “The Raven” enjoyed wild, exceptional popularity, but all these successes brought practically no money. Journalism opened its arms to Poe, but the story of his first magazine was repeated with some variations throughout his life: he was an excellent employee who was either fired during a binge (or after a series of patience-weary binges), or he left on his own, full of desire to publish his own magazine (These attempts were never crowned with significant success).

The Poe-Klemm family, however, kept afloat - until in 1842, Virginia, who played the harp and sang, suddenly started bleeding from her throat. The girl was hastily put to bed, the doctor was called (who did not know who to give first aid - the girl coughing up blood or the man, almost mad with horror). Edgar Allan Poe's nightmare was repeated... yet again. In 1848, Poe wrote to a friend: “ You ask if I can “at least give you a hint” of what the “terrible misfortune” was that caused those “oddities in behavior” that I so deeply regret. Yes, I can answer you, and not just with a hint. “Misfortune” was the most terrible of those that can befall a person. Six years ago, my wife, whom I loved as no mortal had ever loved, damaged an internal blood vessel while singing. Her condition was considered hopeless. Having already said goodbye to her forever, I experienced all the torment that her death brought me. However, she got better, and hope returned to me. A year later, her blood vessel burst again. Everything happened again for me. Then again, again, again and again - at different intervals. And every time death approached, I was tormented by the same torment. With each new exacerbation of the disease, I loved my wife more and more tenderly and clung to her life more and more desperately. But, being a naturally sensitive and unusually nervous person, I at times fell into madness, followed by long periods of terrible enlightenment. In these states of complete unconsciousness I drank - only God knows how much and how often. Of course, my enemies attributed madness to the abuse of wine, but not the other way around. And, truly, I had already given up all hope of healing when I found it in the death of my wife. I was able to meet her death as a man should. The terrible and endless oscillations between hope and despair - that is what I was unable to withstand without completely losing my mind. With the death of what was my life, I was reborn to something new, but - merciful God! - what a sad existence».

This bitter letter is a brief synopsis of a long and terrible tragedy. Poe was madly in love with Virginia and held on to her as his only salvation. Unfortunately, instead of support in her own suffering, she received only the entire abyss of his despair. Poe had drank before, and had ruined his well-being and their shared life before. But now periods of drunkenness and almost madness began to become more frequent: Poe disappeared from home for a long time, returning a few days later, not always sober. He was seen wandering around the streets with a detached look. Sometimes he appeared at the homes of acquaintances or people who had forgotten about him for a long time (for example, at the ex-fiancée Mary Devereaux), and started sudden brawls and proceedings (for example, he assured the long-married Mary that she did not love her husband, but loved only him). Over the years, he had several platonic lovers - usually literary ladies and poetesses, relationships with whom sometimes also led to scandals.

All this had a deplorable effect on Poe’s earnings, people’s attitude towards him, and his work. But most importantly, all this was killing Virginia. Even Mrs. Klemm's patience could not stand it at times, and she - always extremely loyal to "dear Eddie", always justifying and extolling him - several times told family friends that Edgar was killing her daughter.

However, at the same time, Poe tried to deny himself everything so that his wife would have food and medicine. A family friend, writer Gove Nichols, left a touching and sad memory of the sick Virginia: “ There was no cover on the straw mattress - only a snow-white bedspread and sheets. The weather was cold, and the patient was shaken by the terrible chills that usually accompany consumptive fever. She lay wrapped in her husband's coat and clutched a large motley cat to her chest. The wonderful animal seemed to understand what benefits it brought. The coat and the cat only gave warmth to the poor thing, except for the fact that her husband warmed her hands in his palms, and her mother warmed her feet.».

Virginia died in 1847. Edgar Allan Poe outlived her by two years. Shortly before his death, rushing from one woman to another, going crazy and almost completely despondent, he met his youthful love Elmira Royster (now Shelton). She, like him, was widowed. Now nothing stopped them from getting engaged. Elmira was rich, forgotten feelings quickly revived in both, it seemed that youth had returned to them. Mrs. Klemm was happy for her Eddie, and he did not hide from the bride that his late wife’s mother would always be by his side, and Mrs. Shelton agreed with this. The official engagement was to follow after Edgar returned from a short trip. On an autumn day the ship was taking away a famous writer...

Edgar Allan Poe great American writer and poet. He was also an editor, critic and creator of the detective fiction genre in literature. Representative of American romanticism.

Edgar Allan Poe born January 19, 1809 in Boston, USA. His parents, actors of a traveling troupe, died when Edgar was only two years old. Edgar's mother was English, Edgar's father David Poe, - American of Irish descent. The boy was accepted and adopted by a wealthy merchant from Virginia, John Allan.

Childhood

Edgar's childhood passed in a fairly rich environment. The Allans spared no expense in raising him, and although sometimes their business was unsuccessful (at times they were even threatened with bankruptcy), the boy did not feel this: he was dressed “like a prince,” he had his own horse, his own dogs. When Edgar was six years old, the Allans traveled to England and sent the boy to an expensive boarding school in London, where he studied for five years. Upon the Allans' return to the United States in 1820, Edgar attended college in Richmond, graduating in 1826. To complete his education, Edgar was sent to the University of Richmond, which had just been founded.

Edgar developed early: at the age of five he read, drew, wrote, recited, and rode horseback. At school he studied well, acquired a large stock of knowledge in literature, especially English and Latin, in general history, in mathematics, in some branches of natural science, such as astronomy and physics. Physically, Edgar was strong, participated in all the pranks of his comrades, and at the university - in all their revelry. The character of the future poet from childhood was uneven, passionate, impetuous. Many strange things were noted in his behavior. From an early age, Edgar wrote poetry, was fond of fantastic plans, and loved to carry out psychological experiments on himself and others. Realizing his superiority, he made others feel it.

Life in wealth ended for Edgar when he was not even 17 years old. He spent only a year at the university. In the fall of 1826, there was a break between John Allan and his adopted son. It is now difficult to find out who was “to blame”. There is evidence unfavorable for Edgar. For example, it is confirmed that he forged bills signed by John Allan, that once, drunk, he spoke rudely to him, swung a stick at him, etc. On the other hand, it is unknown what the brilliant young man suffered from his wealthy patron (John Allan received an unexpected inheritance , which turned him into a millionaire), alien to issues of art and poetry. Apparently, only Mrs. Allan sincerely loved Edgar, and her husband had long been dissatisfied with the eccentric reception. The reason for the quarrel was that Allan refused to pay Edgar's gambling debts. The young man considered them “debts of honor” and saw no other way out for saving this “honor” than to leave the rich house where he was brought up.

Youth

A wandering life began for Edgar Allan Poe. After leaving the Allan house, he went to his native Boston, where, under the pseudonym “Bostonian,” he published a collection of poems, “Tamerlane and Other Poems,” which was never published. This publication probably consumed all the young man's savings. Having no shelter, he decided to take a drastic step - and entered the army as a soldier under an assumed name. He served for about a year, was in good standing with his superiors, and even received the rank of sergeant major. At the beginning of 1828, the poet, however, could not stand his situation and turned to his adoptive father, asking for help, and probably expressed remorse. John Allan, perhaps at the request of his wife, took pity on the young man, paid for the hiring of a deputy and obtained Edgar’s release. But, having arrived in Richmond, Edgar no longer found his patroness: Mrs. Allan died a few days earlier (February 28, 1829).

Having gained freedom, Edgar Poe again turned to poetry. He again visited Baltimore and met his paternal relatives there - his sister, grandmother, uncle George Poe and his son Nelson Poe. The latter could introduce Edgar to the editor of the local newspaper, William Gwin. Through Gwin, Edgar had the opportunity to contact the then prominent New York writer John Neal. The aspiring poet presented his poems to both Gwyn and Neil. The review, with all the reservations, was most favorable. The result was that at the end of 1829 a collection of Poe's poems was republished in Baltimore under his name, entitled Al-Aaraaf, Tamerlane and Minor Poems. This time the book arrived in stores and editorial offices, but went unnoticed.

Meanwhile, John Allan insisted that Edgar complete his education. It was decided that he would enter the Military Academy at West Point. In March 1830, at the request of Allan, Edgar was nevertheless accepted as a student, although he was not suitable in age. His adoptive father signed a pledge for him to serve in the army for five years. Edgar reluctantly went to the academy. He could not leave its walls in the normal manner. With his usual ardor, he took up the matter and managed to get him expelled in March 1831. With this, the young poet regained his freedom, but, of course, he again quarreled with John Allan.

From West Point, Edgar Poe left for New York, where he hastened to publish a third collection of poems, called, however, the “second edition”: “The Poems of Edgar A. Poe. Second edition." Funds for the publication were raised by subscription; many comrades from the academy signed, expecting to find in the book those poetic pamphlets and epigrams on professors for which the student Allan-Poe became famous at school. But they were to be disappointed. There were no buyers for the book, priced at two and a half dollars.

In 1831, he had to turn to his adoptive father to give him cash benefits. But they were extremely insignificant.
Poe married his thirteen-year-old cousin, Virginia Clemm. Her early death influenced some of the poet's works.

From the autumn of 1831 to the autumn of 1833 was the most difficult period for Edgar Allan Poe. In the summer of 1831 Edgar lived in Baltimore with his aunt Mrs. Klemm - the mother of that Virginia, who later became the poet’s wife. Since the autumn of 1831, traces of him have been lost. By the end of this period, Edgar Poe had reached extreme poverty.

There is no doubt that during these years the young poet worked a lot. He wrote a number of short stories - the best in the early period of his work. In the fall of 1833, the Baltimore weekly announced a competition for the best story and best poem. Edgar Poe sent six stories and a passage in verse, "The Colosseum." The jury members unanimously recognized both the story and Poe's poems as the best. However, not considering it possible to give two prizes to the same person, only the story “MS. Found in a Bottle” was awarded, for which the author was given one hundred dollars. The money arrived on time. The author was literally starving.

1830s - 1840s

In the period from 1833 to 1840, the author published many poems and stories, and worked for the Southern Literary Messenger magazines in Richmond. In 1841-1843 he lived with his family in the suburbs of Philadelphia and worked for Burton's Gentleman's Magazine and Graham's Magazine. In Philadelphia, Edgar Poe also intended to publish his own magazine, The Stylus (or The Penn), but this venture failed.

However, a serious test soon awaited him. After singing, Virginia's blood vessel burst and she was near death (she was sick with tuberculosis).

In addition, in 1846, the New York magazine Broadway Journal, with which he collaborated, closed, and Poe lost his livelihood. Disastrous life resumed.

last years of life

The last years of Edgar Allan Poe's life, 1847-1849, were years of tossing, half-madness, high successes, sad falls and constant slander from enemies. Virginia, dying, took an oath from Mrs. Shew, Edgar's friend, never to leave him. Edgar Poe was still captivated by women, imagined that he was in love, and there was even talk of marriage. In life, he behaved strangely, but managed to publish several more brilliant works.

But the illness was already destroying the poet’s life; attacks of alcoholism became more and more painful, nervousness increased almost to the point of mental disorder. Mrs. Shew, who could not understand the poet’s painful state, considered it necessary to remove herself from his life. In the autumn of 1849 the end came. Full of chimerical projects, considering himself a bridegroom again, Edgar Allan Poe gave a lecture on the “Poetic Principle” in Richmond in September of this year with great success. Edgar Poe left Richmond with $1,500 in his pocket. What happened next remains a mystery. Perhaps the poet fell under the influence of his illness; maybe the robbers drugged him. Edgar Poe was found unconscious, robbed. He was brought to Baltimore, where Edgar Allan Poe died in a hospital on October 7, 1849.