Edgar Allan Poe (1809-1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic. He is best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, and he is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and of American literature as a whole. He was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story and is considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is also credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. Poe's works, which include such classics as "The Raven," "The Tell-Tale Heart," and "The Fall of the House of Usher," are noted for their dark romanticism and for their focus on the psychological. He also wrote many essays and reviews on the art of writing, and his poetry is often noted for its musicality and for its use of imagery. Poe was born in Boston, Massachusetts, and was orphaned at a young age. He was taken in by the Allan family of Richmond, Virginia, and was educated in England and Scotland before returning to the United States. He enlisted in the United States Army in 1827 and later joined the United States Military Academy, but was dismissed for neglecting his duties. He then worked as a magazine editor and as a critic before publishing his first collection of poems in 1827. Poe's life was marked by personal tragedy and financial hardship, and he died at the age of 40 in Baltimore, Maryland. His works have been widely anthologized and have been adapted into numerous films, plays, and television programs.
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