Alcoholic Authors: Edgar Allan Poe
Author of The Raven and More Drank His Way to an Early Death
Aug 7, 2008
Edgar Allan Poe was attracted to the liquor bottle early in life which later became a desperate attempt to drown his misery and unhappiness. He was brought up in a society that revolved around social drinking but liquor had an ugly effect on him. Once he began drinking, he could not stop until he was out of money or drunk.
Early Life of Poe
Born in Boston on January 19, 1809, Poe was orphaned at age two and adopted by Frances and John Allan. He was raised to be a gentleman with many of the many privileges that accorded to him. In 1826, he entered the University of Virginia which had been established just two years earlier. The atmosphere was not conducive to study where gambling, drinking, fights and duels were common. By age eighteen, Poe was deeply in debt. His adopted father refused to contribute to his education so Poet withdrew from the university.
In May of 1827, Poet enlisted in the army, hoping to win the respect of his adopted father. During this time he published his first book, Tamerlane and Minor Poems and two years later, Al Araaf, Tamerlane and Other Poems. He was accepted at West Point in 1930 and was respected by both by his superiors and fellow-cadets. Because his success seemed to not to make any difference to his father, Poe began to neglect his duties and was court-martialed in in 1831.
During 1831 to 1835, Poe lived in poverty in Baltimore, eating poorly and drinking which would hasten his early death. The more miserable his life became, the more he drank to escape reality.
Poe’s Marriage to Virginia Clemm
In 1835, when he was twenty-seven years old, Poe married his cousin, Virginia Clemm who was thirteen years old at the time. The age difference was not uncommon in the South during that time. Clemm’s mother lived with them which Poe was said to encourage because of his own need of mothering. When his wife died in 1847, he was devastated. He wrote to George Eveleth, “I became insane, with long intervals of horrible sanity. During those fits of absolute unconsciousness I drank, God only knows how often or how much.”
Poe’s Life after Virginia Clemm’s Death
In a fit of depression, Poe attempted suicide in 1848 using two ounces of laudanum but survived. He later made the acquaintance of Mrs. Sarah Whitman to whom he became engaged late in 1848. It did not culminate in marriage because of her mother's objections. This was followed by a romance with Sarah Elmira Royster, a wealthy widow as he desperately tried to fill the loneliness left after Virginia’ death.
After becoming seriously ill in 1849, and having lost his will to live complicated by his years of drinking, Poe died on October 7th at Washington College Hospital in Richmond.
Poe’s Literary Legacy
As the first really modern editor and one of the writers of American’s golden age, Poe left a wealth of poems and tales that are still held in high esteem. He began by wining a contest sponsored by the Baltimore Visitor in 1833 for the story, “MS. Found in a Bottle,” This led to his employment as the editor of the Southern Literary Messenger and other other editorial positions. During 1838 and 1839, The Narrative of Arthur Gorden Pym and Tales of the Grotesque and Arabesque was published by Harpers. Although not considered the best among his writing, “The Raven” remains the most popular among them.
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