Ten Mysterious Edgar Allan Poe Quotes

Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 to David and Elizabeth Poe, two actors who lived in the city of Boston, Massachusetts. Unfortunately, David Poe abandoned the family shortly after the birth of his son, and Elizabeth Poe died in 1811, when Edgar Allan Poe was only three years old. With no immediate family able to take care of him, Edgar Allan Poe was taken in by the Allan family in Richmond Virginia as a foster son.

Even at a young age, Edgar Allan Poe strove to be a writer. Despite his great intellectual abilities, Poe struggled to stay in school. Between 1825 and 1826, he left home to attend the University of Virginia, but in less than a year, Poe was dismissed from the University of Virginia for lack of funds. After that, Poe joined the military from 1827-1829, and attended West Point after being honorably discharged from the armed services. Yet, once again, Edgar Allan Poe was kicked out of school.

From 1831 to 1835, Edgar Allan Poe lived with his aunt, Maria Clemm, and her young daughter, Virginia. While living with them, Edgar had his first taste of recognition with the publication of his short story, "Ms. Found in a Bottle," which was released in 1833. Poe found eventually found a job as a magazine editor in 1835, and a year later he married the aforementioned Virginia, his cousin.

Virginia was Poe’s muse, both during their marriage and after her death to tuberculosis in 1847.  During his years as a married man, Edgar Allan Poe published such famous works as “The Fall of the House of Usher” (1838), “The Murders in the Rue Morgue” (1843), “The Mystery of Marie Rogêt” (1843), “The Pit and the Pendulum” (1843), “The Black Cat” (1843), “The Tell-Tale Heart” (1843) and “The Raven” (1845). After Virginia’s death, Edgar Allan Poe was inspired to write one of his most emotionally powerful poems, “Annabelle Lee” (1849).

Shortly before the publication of “Annabel Lee,” Edgar Allan Poe left Richmond Virginia, intending to arrive in Philadelphia. Mysteriously, he was found delirious in Baltimore and died of odd circumstances on October 7, 1849. The cause of the great author’s death remains unknown and debated. There are many theories about the cause of death, including being beaten to death, rabies, poisoning, or even a case of fatal kidnapping. Even today, no conclusive consensus has been reached as to why and how Edgar Allan Poe met his end.

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All images used or modified for this video were public domain at the time of editing.

The intro music was written by C. Keith Hansley for use on this channel, and the rest Beethoven's "Moonlight Sonata" accompanies the rest of the video.

Read our more in-depth biography on Edgar Allan Poe, HERE.