7. Edgar Allan Poe, born January 19, 1809, under the sign of Capricorn
The Capricorn personality is said to be marked by creative intelligence, the ability to communicate, discipline, and a well-grounded nature. Some such traits were evident in Edgar Allan Poe‘s personality and life, while others were not, depending on how discipline, in particular, is regarded. While Poe possessed the discipline needed to write, and edited and reviewed the works of others, he lacked certain aspects of self-control. He gambled his way out of the University of Virginia, and later failed as a cadet at the Military Academy at West Point. Throughout his career, he struggled with debt and alcohol, including absinthe. At the age of 26, he married his 13-year-old cousin, who died after eleven years of marriage.
Creative intelligence however he possessed to a remarkable degree. He wrote poetry which remains famous and widely read. He is credited with inventing the modern detective fiction genre. Poe’s psychological thrillers are still made into motion pictures and television programs, as well as adapted for the stage. He also wrote science fiction, and satire and outright hoaxes emerged from his pen. He was also a critic, called by James Lowell, another critic, “the most discriminating, philosophical, and fearless critic upon imaginative works who has written in America”. Poe’s untimely and mysterious death in Baltimore, and his burial there, have made him an enduring part of that community.