Edgar Poe is one of the most brilliant and original writers and poets in American literature. He was born in Boston in 1809 in a family of artists. When he was two years old, his mother and father died. His godfather and his wife raised him. He entered the University of Virginia but didn't stay there long.

Edgar Poe published his first book of poems, "Tamerlane and other poems", in 1827. Two more volumes of verse were published in 1829 and 1831. None of these books won the recognition of critics or of the public. After publishing these three volumes he was an editor, a critic and a short-story writer for magazines and newspapers. His criticism was direct and clever. It made him a respected and feared critic.

Edgar Poe became the editor of a literary journal but soon lost his position because of his drinking. He edited other magazines and newspapers in different cities of the USA. At that time he also began writing mystery stories. His short stories, such as "The Masque of the Red Death" and "The Fall of the House of Usher", create a world which is real and fantastic. He is considered the father of modern detective story. One of his most popular stories of this kind is "Murders in the Rue Morgues".

His book "The Raven and Other Poems" won him fame as a poet at home and abroad. His poems ("The Raven", "The Bells" and "Annabel Lee") are rich with musical phrases, rhythm and repetition of sounds. They are full of images that are not easy to forget.

Though Edgar Poe was more famous as a short-story writer, his poems are popular all over the world and have been translated into many languages. They are on the curriculum of British and American schools and colleges.