Poe's psychologically gripping tales examining the depths of the human psyche brought him great fame during his lifetime and after his death. His own life was marked by tragedy from an early age (his parents died before he was three) and in his oft-quoted works we can see his dark, passionate sensibility – a tormented and sometimes neurotic obsession with death and violence and an overall appreciation. for the beautiful but tragic mysteries of life. Those who dream during the day are aware of many things that escape those who only dream at night. — “Elonora.” Poe's literary critiques of poetry and the art of short story writing include "The Poetic Principal" and "The Philosophy of Composition." Numerous collections of his works have been published, and many have inspired popular television and film adaptations, including "The Tell-Tale Heart," "The Black Cat" and "The Raven." He has been the subject of numerous biographers and has significantly influenced many other authors, even into the 21st century.Edgar Poe was born on January 19, 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts, the son of actors Elizabeth Arnold Hopkins (1787–1811) and David Poe (1784-1810). He had a brother named William Henry (1807-1831) and a sister Rosalie (1811-1874). After the death of his parents, Edgar was taken in by Frances (d. 1829) and John Allan (d. 1834), a wealthy merchant from Richmond, Virginia. Young Edgar traveled with the Allans to England in 1815 and attended school in Chelsea. By 1820 he was back in Richmond where he attended the University of Virginia and studied Latin and poetry and also enjoyed swimming and gambling. While in school, he became estranged from his adoptive father after accumulating gambling debts. Unable to pay them or support him...... middle of paper ...... could launch his magazine The Stylus . There are conflicting accounts regarding Edgar Allan Poe's final days and the cause of his death. Some say he died of alcoholism, others claim he was murdered, and various illnesses have also been attributed. Most say he was found unconscious on the street and admitted to Washington College Hospital in Baltimore, Maryland. He died shortly thereafter, on October 7, 1849, and was buried unceremoniously in an unmarked grave at the Old Westminster Burying Ground in Baltimore. On this original site now stands a stone with a carving of a raven and the inscription: Quoth the Raven, NevermoreOriginal burial place of Edgar Allan PoeOctober 9, 1849 to November 17, 1875 Mrs. Marian Clemm, his mother-in-law is to his right and Virginia Poe, his wife, to his left. Under the monument erected to him in this cemetery