Biography of Edgar Allan Poe, military career, creativity

2024 Author: Leah Sherlock | [email protected]. Last modified: 2023-12-17 05:25

Biography of Edgar Poe is full of white spots. This is due to the dismissive attitude of many of his contemporaries and the plight of the writer. In fact, the history of the poet was unbiasedly restored only in the 20th century, but by that time there was little information about his life. Today, Edgar Allan Poe remains one of the most mysterious personalities. There were many assumptions about the circumstances of his death already in 1849, but the real cause of the poet's death, most likely, will forever remain unsolved. However, this fact does not prevent millions of people today from enjoying the prose and poetry of the great writer.

Loss of parents, foster family

The story of Poe begins on January 19, 1809 in Boston (USA). The future writer appeared in a family of itinerant artists. Edgar did not live long with his parents: his mother died of consumption when he was only two years old, his father either disappeared orLi died earlier. Then the boy, by and large, was lucky for the only time in his life - he was taken in by his wife Allana. Frances, the adoptive mother, fell in love with the baby and persuaded her husband, a we althy merchant John, to adopt him. He was not happy about the appearance of Edgar, but gave in to his wife, who could not give birth to her own son.

Edgar Allan Poe spent his childhood in Virginia. He did not need anything: he was dressed in the latest fashion, he had dogs, a horse and even a servant at his disposal. The future writer began training in a London boarding school, where he was sent at the age of 6. The boy returned to the USA with his family when he was eleven. There he went to college in Richmond and then, in 1826, to the University of Virginia, which had opened the year before.

The end of luck

Edgar learned quickly, was distinguished by physical endurance and a passionate, nervous character, which subsequently caused him a lot of trouble. As biographers note, the last feature predetermined his quarrel with his father. The exact reasons are unknown: either the young writer forged his stepfather's signature on the bills, or he got angry because of the gambling debts of his adopted son. One way or another, at the age of 17, Poe was left without funds and left the university, having studied only in the first year.

The young man returned to Boston, where he took up poetry. Edgar Poe decided to publish poems written during that period under the pseudonym "Bostonian". However, his plan failed: the book was not published, and already meager funds ran out.

Short military career

In this situation, Poe took the unexpectedsolution. He enlisted in the military under an assumed name. Poe stayed in the army for about a year. He received the rank of sergeant major, was considered one of the best, but could not stand such a regimented life. Presumably, in early 1828, the young poet turned to his stepfather for help. He, after the persuasion of his wife, helped Edgar to free himself from service. The writer did not have time to thank his stepmother: she died on the eve of his arrival in Richmond. So the poet lost his second truly dear woman.

B altimore, West Point and the long-awaited publication

Safely leaving the army, Edgar went to B altimore for a while. There he met his paternal relatives: aunt Maria Klemm, uncle George Poe, his son Nelson. Being in a tight financial situation, the writer settled with his aunt, and later returned to Richmond.

During his stay in B altimore, Edgar met W. Gwin, the editor of the local newspaper, and through him, J. Neal, a writer from New York. Po gave them his poems. After receiving positive reviews, Edgar decided to try publishing them again. A collection called "Al-Aaraaf, Tamerlane and small poems" was published in 1829, but did not receive wide popularity.

The stepfather insisted on continuing the education of his adopted son, and in 1830 the young man entered the Military Academy at West Point. Despite the strict daily routine, Poe found time for creativity and entertained fellow students with satirical poetic sketches of life at the academy. He was supposed to serve five years, however, like last time, already at the very beginning of his studies, he realized thata military career is not for him. Edgar tried to turn to his stepfather again, but another quarrel disrupted his plans. However, the poet was not taken aback: having ceased to comply with the charter, he achieved expulsion from the academy in 1831.

Trying to win recognition

Biography of Edgar Poe is extremely scarce on information about his life in the period from 1831 to 1833. It is known that he lived for some time in B altimore with Maria Clemm. There he fell in love with her daughter and his cousin Virginia. The girl was then only 9 years old. Since the autumn of 1831, almost nothing is known about the life of the poet. Some researchers of his biography believe that he could go on a trip to Europe. Numerous detailed descriptions of the Old World found on the pages of the writer's works indirectly testify in favor of this fact. However, there is no other evidence for this theory. Many biographers note that Poe was on a severe budget and could hardly afford the travel expenses.

However, all researchers agree that the three years that followed after being expelled from West Point were productive. Edgar Poe, whose books were not yet popular, continued to work. In 1833, he submitted six short stories and poems to the B altimore weekly Saturday Visitor. Both of them were recognized as the best. Poe was rewarded with a cash prize of $100 for his short story "Manuscript Found in a Bottle."

Besides money, Edgar got some fame, and with it, offers to work in magazines. He began to collaborate with Saturday Visitor, and then withSouthern Literary Messenger, published in Richmond. In the latter, the writer published in 1835 the short stories "Morella" and "Berenice" and a little later - "The Adventures of Hans Pfall".

Magnificent Virginia

In the same year, Edgar Allan Poe, already more famous than before, received an invitation to become editor of the Southern Literary Messenger. To take office with a fee of 10 dollars a month, it was necessary to move to Richmond. Poe agreed, but before leaving he wished to marry his beloved Virginia, who was then less than 13 years old. The girl of extraordinary beauty has long captivated the writer. In the heroines of many of his works, you can guess her image. Virginia's mother agreed, and the young couple secretly married, after which Poe left for Richmond, and his beloved lived in B altimore for another year. The official ceremony took place in 1836.

Less than a year later, Poe resigned as editor after falling out with publisher Southern Literary Messenger and moved to New York with Maria Klemm and Virginia.

New York and Philadelphia

Two years in New York were mixed for the writer. Edgar Allan Poe, whose poems and prose were published on the pages of several magazines in the city, received very little for his work. He published such works as Ligeia and The Adventures of Arthur Gordon Pym, but he made the most money from a manual of chronology, which was an abridged version of the work of a Scottish professor.

In 1838 the family moved to Philadelphia. Edgargot a job as editor of the Gentleman's Magazine, where he published several of his works. These included The Fall of the House of Escher and the beginning of the unfinished Notes of Yuli Rodman.

Dream and reality

Working for various publications, Poe was looking for something more. He dreamed of his own magazine. The closest he came to realizing the idea was in Philadelphia. Advertisements were published for a new magazine called Penn Magazine. A little money was not enough to make the dream come true, but this obstacle turned out to be insurmountable.

In 1841, the Gentleman's Magazine merged with The Casket to form a new Graham's Magazine, with Edgar Allan Poe as editor-in-chief. The stories, poems and short stories written earlier, he shortly before combined into two volumes and published the collected works "Grotesques and Arabesques" at the end of 1840. This was a short period when everything seemed to be going well. However, already in March 1842, Edgar was again out of work. The magazine disbanded, and Rufus Wilmot Griswold was invited to the editorship of Gentleman's Magazine. The latter, according to one version, was the reason for Poe's departure: he, to put it mildly, did not like Griswold.

Then there was work at the Saturday Museum and the publication of several fairy tales and short stories for mere pennies. The only exception, perhaps, was the Golden Beetle. Edgar sent him to a literary competition. The Gold Bug won and brought $100 to its author. After the story was repeatedly reprinted, which, however, did not bring income to the writer, since the law oncopyright was then a thing of the future.

New misfortune

The biography of Edgar Poe is full of sad events. As researchers of his life note, the reason for many of them was his passionate nature, a tendency to depression and alcohol. However, one of the main tragedies - the death of Virginia - was not his fault. The poet's wife was ill with tuberculosis. The first sign of a serious illness, throat bleeding, appeared in 1842. The patient was on the verge of death, but after a while she recovered. However, consumption, which carried off Edgar's mother, did not give up. Virginia has been slowly dying for several years.

For the writer's unstable nervous system, this was a heavy blow. He practically stopped writing. The family was again in dire need of money. In 1844 they returned to New York. New works written by Edgar Poe were published here. "The Raven", the poet's most famous poem, was published in the Evening Mirror magazine.

The culmination of creativity

Today Edgar Poe is considered one of the best American authors. He laid the foundation for the "science fiction" genre, the writer's books became the first examples of a mystical detective story. The main work of Poe, which brought him fame and recognition, but not we alth, was The Raven. The poem perfectly conveys the writer's attitude to life. Man is given only a short moment filled with suffering and hard work, and all his hopes are in vain. The lyrical hero yearns for the lost beloved and asks the talking bird if he can ever see her again. This is Edgar Allan Poe:"The Raven" is notable for its special internal tension and tragedy, which capture the reader completely, despite the almost complete absence of a plot.

For the publication, the writer received 10 dollars. However, the "Raven" brought him something more than money. The poet became famous, he began to be invited to lectures in different cities, which somewhat strengthened his financial situation. During the year that the “white” streak lasted, Poe published the collection The Raven and Other Poems, published several new short stories and was invited to the editorial board of the Broadway Journal. However, even here the indefatigable character did not allow him to prosper for a long time. In 1845, he quarreled with other publishers, remained the only editor, but due to lack of funds, he was soon forced to resign.

Recent years

Poverty has returned to the house, and with it cold and hunger. Virginia died early in 1847. Many biographers note that the suffering poet was on the verge of insanity. For some time he could not work because of grief and alcohol and survived only thanks to the care of a few true friends. But sometimes he gathered strength and wrote. This period accounts for the creation of such works as Yulalum, The Bells, Annabelle Lee and Eureka. He fell in love again and shortly before his death he was going to marry again. In Richmond, where the writer lectured on the "Poetic Principle", his literary work, Poe met his childhood friend Sarah Elmyra Royster. He swore to the bride that he was done with drinking and depression. Before the wedding, all that remained was to settle some matters inPhiladelphia and New York.

The Secret of Edgar Poe

October 3, 1849 Edgar Allan Poe was found half-mad on a bench in B altimore. He was taken to the hospital, where he died without regaining consciousness on 7 October. There is still no consensus on the causes of the writer's death. Many researchers of the issue are inclined to the version of the so-called cupping. Po was discovered on Election Day. Then in B altimore, groups were rampaging, driving citizens to secret shelters. People were pumped up with alcohol or drugs, and then they were forced to vote for the “right” candidate several times. There is evidence that Edgar Poe was drunk at the time of discovery, and not far from the ill-fated bench was one of these shelters. On the other hand, the writer was famous in B altimore at the time and would not have been chosen as a victim.

Among the possible causes today are various diseases, from hypoglycemia and brain tumors to alcoholism and an overdose of laudanum. The reason for this confusion is the lack of medical documents and the first biography of Poe, written by Griswold, the writer's enemy. He exposed the poet as a drunkard and a madman, not worthy of trust and attention. This point of view on the Po personality dominated until the end of the 19th century.

Creative legacy

One version says that Poe's death was planned by the writer himself, as the last spectacular gesture for the public, greedy for mysticism and horror. The poet subtly felt what the reader wanted. He understood that romanticism was much inferior in popularity to mysticism, ticklingnerves and holding in tension. Edgar Poe, whose stories were full of fantastic incidents, skillfully combined imagination and logic. He became a pioneer of the mystical detective genre. Science fiction occupies a significant place in the writings of the writer. Edgar Allan Poe's books are distinguished by their combination of imagination and logic. He laid the tragic tradition in American literature, formulated the principles of science fiction, gave the world a mystical detective story.

Today Edgar Poe, whose books are an inspiration for many people, is considered a representative of intuitionism - a philosophical trend that recognizes the primacy of intuition in the process of cognition. However, the writer knew well that creativity is also painstaking work. He created his own aesthetic paradigm and several works on the theory of poetry: "The Philosophy of Creativity", "Nathaniel Hawthorne's Novelistics", "The Poetic Principle". In "Eureka" the writer outlined philosophical and epistemological ideas. The contribution of Edgar Allan Poe to the development of literature, including many genres beloved by modern readers, is invaluable. Studying his biography makes you think about fate and destiny. Who knows if Poe would have created so many if life had been more kind to him?