10 Interesting Facts about Edgar Allan Poe: The Master of Macabre

If you're into the macabre, then Edgar Allan Poe should be no stranger to you. But maybe you do not know everything about Poe. I didn't, so I looked up some information and here are ten interesting facts about Edgar Allan Poe: 

X Sure, he was the Master of the Macabre, but he actually wrote more comedies than he did horror/thrillers.[1]

X He wasn't the jerk historians, TV shows, and movies (The Raven with John Cusack, for example) 

make him out to be and was actually quite joyful to be around.[1]

X He dabbled in opium, but his main vice was drinking.[1] 

X His last words were, "Lord, help my poor soul."[2]

X His death, to this day, is still a mystery. But some speculation is that he might have died from alcoholism to even rabies as Poe loved cats. Some suggest he may have pet a cat, only to discover it was actually a raccoon which bit him. But this has yet or never will be proven.[1]

X Speaking of which, Edgar's cat could not survive without him. After hearing about his death, his mother-in-law checked on Poe's cat only to discover that it had died as well.[2b]

X There are museums in his honor in the Bronx, Philadelphia, Richmond, and Baltimore (his place of death).

X An enemy of his, Rufus Wilmot, wrote Poe's obituary. Not surprisingly, Wilmot decided it was best to tell fallacies and spread skuttlebutt about his deceased rival. He must have been afraid of some sort of backlash as he wrote it under a false name. That figures.[2b]

X For being such an admired author, only seven people attended his funeral. The funeral wasn't all that grand either, as one attendee called it "cold-blooded."[2b]

X Want to know why Poe is seen as the mad writer even though he is surprisingly regarded as an okay guy? Edgar's old "pal", Rufus, wrote Poe's first biography shortly after his death and made Edgar wrote him as a lunatic.

Well, there you go! Ten interesting facts about Edgar Allan Poe. Hope you enjoyed this!

Sources:

[1] AHC - American Heroes Channel; check your local TV listings 

[2] Biography.com 

[2b] Biography.com's 13 Haunting Facts About Edgar Allan Poe's Death 
[3] Poe Museum