Edgar Allan Poe was one of the greatest lyric poets of the English language. But his early work as a writer went unrecognized, and he was forced to earn his living in the newspaper business, working as an editor in Richmond, Philadelphia, and New York. Although he was respected as a literary critic, his poetry and short stories were neglected until the publication of The Raven and Other Poems in 1845, which propelled him to instant fame. However, Poe's life and personality have attracted almost as much attention as his writings. The circumstances of his life were further complicated by the ill health of his young wife, his cousin Virginia Clemm, who died of tuberculosis in January 1847. Biographers and critics often suggest that Poe's frequent theme of the death of a beautiful woman stems from the repeated loss of women throughout his life, including his wife. He died a few years after Virginia, on October 7, 1849. Edgar Allan Poe left behind a large body of work, including many poems and short stories, two novels (one incomplete), and a variety of critical essays.

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