Did you know that Edgar Allan Poe was afraid of the dark?

Edgar Allan Poe
Edgar Allan Poe

Maybe it was due to the fact that both his parents died when he was 3 years old; or that he attended a boarding school located next to a cemetery. In fact, his gym class or maths lessons sometimes took place among the tombstones.

Other fun facts about the author:

  • He had drinking and gambling problems.
  • His poem “The Raven” was inspired by Charles Dickens’ pet bird.
  • Edgar Allan Poe was dismissed from the army for “gross neglect of duty”.
  • He secretly married Virginia Clemm, his cousin, when she was 13 years old. She died of tuberculosis 11 years later.
  • The author died under mysterious circumstances: he disappeared for one week on his way from Richmond, Virginia, to Philadelphia. He was eventually found in Baltimore, drunk and wearing somebody else’s clothes, and was taken to a hospital where he died a few days later. Only 7 people attended his funeral.
  • Edgar Allan Poe passed away 10 days before his wedding to Elmira Royster Shelton.
  • His beloved cat Catterina died at the same time as him.
Edgar Allan Poe

Cecile

Cécile Sune was born in Lyon, France, and her obsession with books started when she was 14. Her grandparents had lent her Gone With the Wind by Margaret Mitchell, and she spent part of the summer indoors reading. Needless to say, her tan didn't really improve that year! It was also around that time that Cécile fell in love with the English language. Several years later, in 1999, Cécile moved to Toronto, Canada, with her cat and 5 suitcases. Her love of reading greatly increased when she discovered that English books were much cheaper than French novels. In 2013, she decided to start a blog to share her passion. Cécile now lives in Ottawa, Canada, with her husband and their daughter, and works as a freelance translator (CS Revision).