DARK FANTASY STORIES

EDGAR ALLAN POE (1809-1849) – Une vie, une œuvre [1999] "The Life and Work of Edgar Allan Poe: A Legacy of Darkness"

Poe is considered to be the inventor of the detective story and the modern horror story. He is also credited with popularizing the use of symbolism and allegory in literature.. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts in 1809. His parents were both actors. Poe was orphaned at a young age and was taken in by John and Frances Allan, a wealthy merchant family in Richmond, Virginia. Poe was then raised by his foster parents, John and Frances Allan. Poe's literary legacy is evident in the works of many writers who came after him. His use of symbolism and allegory has been emulated by such authors as Nathaniel Hawthorne and Herman Melville. Poe's influence can also be seen in the works of Edgar Rice Burroughs, H.P. Lovecraft, and Stephen King. Poe attended the University of Virginia for a year, but he left after getting into a dispute with John Allan over gambling debts. Poe then enlisted in the army, but he was soon discharged. Poe returned to Richmond, Virginia and began working for the Southern Literary Messenger. It was during this period that Poe wrote some of his most famous stories, including "The Gold Bug" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." Poe's personal life was marked by tragedy. His young wife, Virginia, died of tuberculosis in 1847. Poe was devastated by her death and struggled with alcoholism and depression. In 1849, Poe was found delirious and near death in a Baltimore tavern. He was taken to a hospital, where he died four days later. The cause of Poe's death is still a mystery, although it is likely that he died of rabies