The Edgar Author Allan Poe Life. Edgar Allan Poe was born on 19th January 1809, in Boston, Massachusetts, USA. His parents Elizabeth and David were both actors. When Edgar was only two years old, his father left the family and, some months later, his mother died of tuberculosis1. Edgar went to live with the Allans who lived in Richmond, West Virginia and he took their surname. In 1815, the Allans went to live in England with Edgar for five years and when they returned to the United States in 1820, Edgar went to private schools in Richmond. In 1826, he went to the University of Virginia and was a good student. In 1827, he published his first book of poems and in 1832, he went to Baltimore where he lived with his aunt, Maria Poe Clemm. They lived at 3, Amity street, a house which was later transformed into a museum. It was in that period that Edgar, who was a poet, decided to write short stories and he won the $50 prize2 offered by a Baltimore newspaper for the best short story. In 1836, he married his cousin, Virginia Clemm, but she had tuberculosis, like Edgar s mother and was always ill. 3. fame: the state of being known by lots of people 4. rented: paid money to someone so that he could use a house 1. tuberculosis: a serious infection of the lungs 2. prize: money given to a person who wins a competition The Pit and the Pendulum (Illustration by Jamés Prunier, 1998) 4