Poe was well known as somewhat of a controversial figure during his time. He was known for his heavy drinking habits and often writing about death, decay, mental illness, and other morbid topics.
But what is fact, and what is fiction? We’re here to help figure that out. Here are 17 absolute facts about Edgar Allan Poe’s life, work, and strange death.
Edgar Poe was born to actors Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins and David Poe Jr. His father abandoned the family, so his mother raised him and his siblings alone.
Edgar Poe was one of three children. His older brother, William Henry Leonard Poe, was born in 1807, and his younger sister Rosalie was born in 1810.
Poe’s mother died in 1811 when he was just two years old. Elizabeth’s cause of death was tuberculosis.
Poe was known to call himself “Eddy” and would sign off letters using this shortened version of his name.
While Poe was studying at the University of Virginia, he published his first work titled “Tamerlane and Other Poems.”
When Poe was 27 years old, he married his 13-year-old cousin Virginia Clemm.