Filled with broken hearts and black ravens, Edgar Allan Poe’s ghastly tales have delighted readers for centuries. Born in Boston in 1809, Poe was orphaned at age two. He was soon adopted by a Virginia family who worked as tombstone merchants. In 1827 he enlisted in the Army and subsequently failed out of West Point. His first published story, The Raven, was a huge success, but his joy was overshadowed by the death of his wife. Poe devoted his life to writing and his tragic life often inspired his work. He is considered to be the inventor of detective fiction and the father of American mystery writers. His work continues to influence popular culture through films, music, literature, and television.


愛倫．坡的恐怖小說充滿傷痛與烏鴉，幾世紀來深受讀者喜愛。愛倫．坡於 1809 年出生在美國波士頓，兩歲時就成了孤兒，但很快就被一個從事墓碑生意的維吉尼亞家庭領養。他在 1827 年進入西點軍校，最後卻被退學。他的第一本著作《烏鴉》獲得廣大迴響，然而喜悅的心情卻因為喪妻而大受打擊。愛倫．坡一生致力於寫作，靈感常源自於自己悲慘的人生經驗。他不僅是偵探小說的先驅，也是美國推理小說之父。他的作品透過電影、音樂、文學和電視節目的方式，持續影響著流行文化。