Father of the Modern Detective Story

This Day in History: January 19, 1809

Do you recognize this photograph?

Source: en.wikipedia.org

How about this illustration?

Source: en.wikipedia.org

Are you familiar with this bird?

en.wikipedia.org

Have you read this poem?

The person is Edgar Allan Poe. The poem: The Raven. This is only one of the great masterpieces written by Poe who was born on this day in 1809. He has been described as dark, handsome and brooding becoming known for his dark horror stories like "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Tell-Tale Heart" prior to publishing his work of poetry, The Raven. If you did not recognize his photograph, hopefully upon revealing some of his great writings, the name behind the photograph surely no longer remains a mystery.

Edgar Allan Poe (born Edgar Poe; January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, considered part of the American Romantic Movement. Best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre, Poe was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story, and is generally considered the inventor of the detective fiction genre. He is further credited with contributing to the emerging genre of science fiction. He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone, resulting in a financially difficult life and career. [Source: en.wikipedia.org]

Poe had a profound impact on American, as well as international, literature. In fact, as a writer of fiction, he became one of the first 19th century American authors to become more popular in Europe than the United States. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, who is most noted for his fictional stories about the detective Sherlock Holmes, said of Poe, "Each [of Poe's detective stories] is a root from which a whole literature has developed.... Where was the detective story until Poe breathed the breath of life into it?" [Sherlock Holmes and other fictional detectives were based on the characters that Poe created.]

Some of Poe's great masterpieces include...

 

"The Fall of the House of Usher" 

"The Tell-tale Heart" 

"Murders in the Rue Morgue" 

"The Purloined Letter"

 

"Annabel Lee"

"Eleonora (a love story)"

"The Angel of the Odd (a comedy)"

Author, Poet, Editor, and Literary Critic to be long remembered and revered

Poe pictured on a 3¢ US postage stamp in the
Famous Americans/Poets series, issued 7 October 1949

Poe's picture included on the record sleeve of
The Beatles' "Sgt Pepper's Lonely Hearts Club Band"

Read about the Poe Toaster who raised a glass of cognac
and left three red roses on Poe's grave
every January 19th for almost 80 years.

The NFL franchise Baltimore Ravens are named so because of Poe's famous poem, "The Raven".
Poe was born in Boston, MASS but lived in several different places, including Baltimore, MD.
He died in Baltimore.