“I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity.” - Edgar Allan Poe, Letter to George W. Eveleth Edgar Allan Poe (1809–1849) was an American poet, author, and literary critic whose dark imagination left a lasting mark on American literature. Born in Boston and orphaned before he was three, Poe was taken in by the Allan family of Richmond, Virginia. He briefly attended the University of Virginia and later West Point, but financial struggles and conflicts with his foster father ended his formal education and contributed to years of hardship. Poe helped establish the modern detective story while becoming one of the most influential writers of psychological horror. He was also celebrated for the haunting rhythm and atmosphere of his poetry. His best-known works include The Tell-Tale Heart, The Fall of the House of Usher, The Raven, and The Murders in the Rue Morgue. His stories often explore themes of death, guilt, obsession, madness, and the unsettling connection between beauty and terror. Poe died under mysterious circumstances at only forty years old, adding to the legend surrounding his life. Although he struggled financially and received uneven recognition during his lifetime, his reputation grew enormously after his death. Today, he is regarded as a major figure in detective and horror fiction whose work influenced French Symbolism and generations of writers around the world.