Edgar Allan Poe was an author with great writing ability. His writings would have no substance without the horrible life he lived. Poe's writings completely encompassed the major disasters of his life, particularly the many deaths he experienced in his family and his struggle with alcoholism. Edgar Allan Poe's life was full of many difficulties, especially in his early years. He was born in Boston on January 19, 1809. From his father abandoning the family to his mother dying of tuberculosis, young Edgar seemed to have experienced it all by the age of three. Not to mention, Poe had been separated from his other siblings after his mother's death. Poe was then orphaned and later became a ward of the Allans. The Allans co-owned a merchandising business known as "The House of Ellis and Allan." They were quite rich, but emotionally less rich. Poe accompanied the Allans to London at the age of six. In London, the Allans opened a new branch, but later, when the tobacco market collapsed, they had to return to America (Silverman 1). Returning from London, where Poe attended a frontier school, he began his studies at the University of Virginia. Financial difficulties led him to abandon his studies soon after entering school. Around this time, Poe learned of the death of Frances Allan, who was his adoptive mother, and he published Poems of Edgar A. Poe. This volume included some of his most significant works, notably "À Hélène" which speaks specifically of death, a usual theme in most of his works. He attended West Point in 1830 and later served in the United States Army. Poe was released in 1831 and then began working as an editor and journalist. Poe settled in Baltimore where he lived with...... middle of paper...... Fact On File, Inc. Home Library, Little Rock, Arkansas. February 3, 2014. Blasiak, Krysta. “Edgar Allan Poe.” personnel.psu.edu. February 12, 2014. Ljungquist, Kent. Poe, Edgar Allan. Ed. Paul A. Kobasa. P.15. Chicago: Scott Fetzer Company, 2012.Silverman, Kenneth. “Poe, Edgar Allan.” American National Biography Online. February 2000. February 3, 2014. .Werlock, Abby HP "Poe, Edgar Allan." Bloom's literature. Revised edition. (2014): 1-3. Blooms. Fact On File, Inc. Home Library, Little Rock, Arkansas. February 3. 2014 .