16 Mind-Blowing Facts About Edgar Allan Poe

One of the most versatile and brilliant writers in history, Edgar Allan Poe was an American author who helped to influence scores of other literary greats. Active during the 1840s and 1850s, Poe dabbled in mystery and detective writing, he helped to continue the emergence of the science-fiction genre of literature, and was part of the American Romantic Movement - even becoming the first well-known US-born author to attempt to earn a living through his literary works alone. Best known for his poems "The Raven", "The Bells" and "Eldorado", Poe also wrote several short stories, including "The Murders in the Rue Morgue", "The Gold-Bug" and "The Black Cat". Interestingly though, Poe also tried his hand at other forms of literature - writing one play ("Politian") and one completed novel ("The Narrative of Arthur Gordon Pym of Nantucket") during his lifetime. But aside from his brilliant works, Poe's life itself also makes for fascinating reading. For this is a man who married an extremely young girl (who also just so happened to be a member of his own family), who lied about his age to enlist into the army only to deliberately get himself court-martialled, and who created the first-ever modern-day literary detective (and provided the inspiration for the characters of Sherlock Holmes and Hercule Poirot in the process). So here are 16 mind-blowing facts about the great American author Edgar Allan Poe.