Edgar Allen Poe
On 3rd October 1849, Poe was found wandering drunk on the
streets, babbling and wearing someone else’s clothes. A few
days later, at a hospital, he died after exclaiming “Lord help my
poor soul”.
Yet, in his lifetime, Edgar Allen Poe produced prodigious
amounts of literature that has now established him as a literary
genius. He lived life in abject poverty, constantly chasing
publishers about rejections of his works. He was one of the first
persons to try and make a living out of writing, a notion that
converted him into a starving artist. Although some of his works
met with reasonable success, he could never make enough
money to support his family. He even tried starting his own
magazine but ill fate seemed to pursue him in all his ventures.
He died two years after the death of his beloved wife; penniless
and with an attendance of ten people at his funeral.
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