Edgar Allan Poe was (1) an American poet, (2) a Spanish rock opera and (3) an Italian progressive rock band (E.A. Poe). 1) Edgar Allan Poe (January 19, 1809 – October 7, 1849) was an American poet, short story writer, editor and critic and one of the leaders of the American Romantics. He is best known for his tales of the macabre and his poems, as well as being one of the early practitioners of the short story and a progenitor of detective fiction, as well as crime fiction in the United States.