Edgar Allan Poe was a person.
Edgar Allan Poe ( [ poʊ ] born Edgar Poe ; January 19 , 1809 -- October 7 , 1849 ) was an American writer , editor , and literary critic . Poe is best known for his poetry and short stories , particularly his tales of mystery and the macabre . He is widely regarded as a central figure of Romanticism in the United States and American literature as a whole , and he was one of the country 's earliest practitioners of the short story . Poe was born in Boston , the second child of two actors .