Edgar Allen Poe had a difficult life from the very beginning. His father was an alcoholic who later left the family when he was very young, and he was separated from his siblings when his mother died from tuberculosis. Later in his life, he was denied engagement to a woman whom he loved. His poems were not selling as they were very dark and depressing in contrast to the usual humorous and witty poems many were accustomed to. When he married to his wife (who was very, VERY young and related to him), she later contacted tuberculosis and died. This, along with the moderate success of his poems in the newspapers, spiraled Poe into an alcoholic depression. Hope this helps!
