Edgar Allan Poe was a horse.
Edgar Allan Poe ( [ poʊ ] born Edgar Poe ; January 19 , 1809 -- October 7 , 1849 ) was an American writer , editor , and literary critic . He was the first well-known American writer to try to earn a living through writing alone , resulting in a financially difficult life and career . Poe attended the University of Virginia for one semester but left due to lack of money . It was at this time that his publishing career began , albeit humbly , with the anonymous collection of poems Tamerlane and Other Poems ( 1827 ) , credited only to `` a Bostonian '' .