Edgar Allen Poe, an American writer, was born in 1809. His parents were actors. Edgar was a baby when his father left the family. He was two years old when his mother died. He was taken into the home of a wealthy businessman named John Allen. He then received his new name, Edgar Allen Poe. As a young man, Poe attended the University of Virginia.(1)________________________. As an unskilled game player, he often lost money. Since he couldn’t pay off his gambling debt, he left university and began working for magazines. He worked hard, yet he was not well paid, or well known. At the age of 27, he got married.(2)___________________________, and died in 1847. Through all his crises, Poe produced many stories and poems which appeared in different publications, yet he didn’t become famous until 1845, when his poem, The Raven, was published. There is a question, however, about Poe’s importance in American Literature. Some critics say Poe was one of America’s best writers, and even had a great influence on many French writers, but others disagree.(3)___________________________. Edgar Allen Poe died in 1849 when he was 40 years old. It is said that he was found dead after days of heavy drinking.