Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe - Photo From his Museum Website



I have always liked the mysterious. When I hear the name Edgar Allen Poe, the first thing I think of is mystery and macabre stories. Pictures of old abandoned graveyards come to mind, along with mysterious figures lurking in the shadows. Something horrid is about to happen at any moment. I think Mr. Poe was a bit crazy, but then when you think about it, most writers are, in their own way.


I read that he started the detective story genre back in 1841 with his work The Murders in the Rue Morgue, a grisly tale of a double homicide. Grahams Magazine published this short story. This information inspired me to write this post. How many of you knew that? I certainly didn’t know that Poe’s work inspired future writers such as Arthur Conan Doyle and Agatha Christie.

Mr. Poe lived a tough and tragic life, but he was determined to write, and write he did. He published his first novel at 18, and was a prolific writer, writing for various magazines in his short life of forty years. He struggled with debt all his life, at one time burning his furniture to stay warm. I wonder why it seems to be this way for many writers and artists. Very few gain any fame or recognition while they’re alive.

How many of you have books by Edgar Allen Poe in your personal library?

To read more about his life, click here: http://www.poemuseum.org/life.php