A child of itinerant actors, Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809. His father deserted the family and mother died when Poe was two, forcing him into the foster care system. Poe then lived with the Allans and attended boarding school. At the University of Virginia, he earned accolades for French and Latin but was forced to leave when his foster father withdrew support due to Poe's gambling debts. At 18, Poe published his first collection of poems and enlisted in the army before being appointed to West Point. After his foster mother died and father remarried, Poe had no support and at 22 entered a life of conflict and poverty. Although tainted with turmoil, Poe's adult years were his most productive. In 1831, he published another