Edgar Allan Poe was born in 1809 in Boston, Massachusetts. As the author of The Murders in the Rue Morgue, he is considered to be the father of the detective fiction genre. However, he is also widely known for his poetry, such as "The Raven", which brought him much critical acclaim during his lifetime, but little remuneration, and for his classic horror stories, such as "The Fall of the House of Usher" and "The Masque of the Red Death". The circumstances surrounding his death in 1849 are themselves a mystery because he was delirious when found and was lying in the street. He died four days later in hospital in Baltimore. All the records, including his death certificate, were destroyed. His literary legacy lives on and has influenced countless generations of writers.