Edgar Allan Poe was an author.
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 and his works influenced literature in the United States and around the world , as well as in specialized fields such as cosmology and cryptography .