По следам детективов: увлекательные истории для изучения английского языка - страница 18

Some people are born under a lucky star, while others are forced to resist the heavy blows of fate all their life. That’s how the world really works. However, we all must realize that hardships are a part of the precious gift called life. They make us stronger and wiser. They purify our souls. As the saying goes, “When life gives you a hundred reasons to cry, show life that you have a thousand reasons to smile.” Unfortunately, the life of Edgar Allan Poe was filled with losses, trials, and sadness and ended in а horrible tragedy. He died very young, but he managed to leave a significant mark on the world of literature. Poe’s contribution to the development of detective fiction was so great that, according to many, without him, we wouldn’t even have Sherlock Homes. Years later, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle would say that Edgar Poe was “a model for all time.” The legendary writer’s last moments were the biggest mystery covered in darkness. The causes of Edgar Poe’s mysterious death are still unknown, though they have been the topic of persistent speculation over the years. Many theories exist, including serious illness and even murder. However, the circumstances of the incident and the sequence of events remain unclear. As I see it, the undisputed “father” of the detective story left behind him a mystery so puzzling that even the most illustrious detective Auguste Dupin, a fictional character created by Edgar Allan Poe, wouldn’t be able to solve it. Let’s together touch the enigmatic life of the greatest writer of all time and the man of extraordinary fate.

Edgar Allan Poe, an American writer, poet, literary critic, and the inventor of the detective novel, was born in Boston, on January 19, 1809, into the family of traveling actors Elizabeth and David Poe. Since childhood his life was full of tragic events. The legendary writer never really knew his parents. Just a year after Edgar Poe’s birth, his father abandoned their family and never returned. No one knows exactly about his fate, but reportedly he died the same year the writer’s mother did. By the age of three, little Edgar was orphaned. He was unofficially adopted by John Allan and his wife Frances, a well-to-do childless couple. His older brother Henry and younger sister Rosalie went to live with other families.