Edgar Allan Poe was born on January 19, 1809, in Boston. His parents died when he was young, so he was raised by John Allan. He studied for a short time at University of Virginia but had to leave because of money problems.
Poe became famous for writing dark poems and short stories. His most famous poem is The Raven. He also wrote stories like The Tell-Tale Heart.
Later in life, he had many personal problems and money difficulties. He died in 1849 in Baltimore at the age of 40.
Poe is important because his writing influenced horror and detective stories, and many people still read his work today.