Criticism > Contemporary Literary Criticism > Poe, Edgar Allan - Biography

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Biography

Edgar Allan Poe was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. His mother, Elizabeth Arnold Poe, was an actress who had attained some prominence as a leading lady. His father, David Poe, Jr., had pursued a somewhat less successful career on the stage, punctuated by alcoholic binges. Although the precise dates and other details are unclear, Poe's father apparently abandoned his family around the time of Edgar's second birthday. We do know that his mother took Edgar, his brother, William Henry, and sister, Rosalie, with her to Richmond, Virginia, sometime in 1811 and that she died there in December of that same year. Edgar was separated from his siblings and placed in the care of a childless couple, John and Frances Allan.

John Allan was an English/Scottish merchant who kept a tight hold on the family's purse strings but who also recognized the value of education. In 1815, he took his wife and "stepson" (Edgar was never legally adopted by the Allans) to...

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1. Introduction
2. Introduction
3. Biography
4. The Influence of Poe’s Life on his Work
5. The Debate Over Poe’s Use of Alcohol and Drugs
6. Poe at Work
7. Poe's Works
8. Poe on Poe
9. Frequently Asked Questions About Poe
10. Copyright

1. Edgar Allan Poe