Edgar Allan Poe was an American writer born in 1809 who is considered one of the fathers of the detective fiction genre and a master of dark romanticism. Some of his most famous works include the poem "The Raven" and stories like "The Pit and the Pendulum" and "The Murders in the Rue Morgue." The document provides biographical details about Poe's life and lists some of his major publications and literary genres he worked in, such as poems, tales of terror, adventure stories, and detective fiction.