Edgar Allan Poe was an American author, poet, editor, and literary critic, best known for his tales of mystery and the macabre. Born in January 1809, he was one of the earliest American practitioners of the short story. His works influenced literature around the world, as well as in specialized fields, such as cosmology and cryptography.

Though best remembered for horror, Poe also wrote satires, humor tales, and hoaxes. For comic effect, he used irony and ludicrous extravagance, often in an attempt to liberate the reader from cultural conformity. Poe also dabbled in science fiction, responding in his writing to emerging technologies such as hot air balloons in The Balloon-Hoax.

He died at age 40 in October 1849. The cause of his death is unknown and has been variously attributed to alcohol, brain congestion, cholera, drugs, heart disease, rabies, suicide, tuberculosis, amongst other things.