5 Remarkable Writers Who Died Poor | Famous Authors Who Died Poor

Famous authors who died poor: Suffering has nothing and yet a lot to do with creativity. If you turn the pages of literary eras, you can’t help but tear up a little bit. Perhaps, that is why they managed to reach people. They all lived through hardships; however, they never stopped writing. As the saying goes ‘writers bleed on papers’. Can you imagine today’s world without books about literature, philosophy, politics, history, and the economy? They kept writing despite the hardships, bad mental health, and lots and lots of criticism and rejection. Can you imagine how tough it must have been to have so much creativity and yet not be recognized or have trouble thriving? In this article, we are going to read about 5 remarkable writers who died poor.

Oscar Wilde (Oct 16, 1854 – Nov 30, 1900)

Wilde as his surname pronounced lived a wild life – “My existence is a scandal”. He was a popular playwright of his time. Wilde thrived in the theatres. He wrote only one novel named The Picture of Dorian Gray. It is considered a classic; however, this was the witness who led him behind bars. In the year 1895, Wilde was arrested with charges of indecency with other men. As a result, the playwright had to pay a large legal fee which led to bankruptcy.

Edgar Allan Poe (Jan 19, 1809 – Oct 7, 1849)

Poe is known for being one of the earliest American practitioners of the short-story style of writing. He is also hugely recognized as the pioneer of the detective fiction genre. Poe is the first popular American writer to earn a living solely through writing. Despite his popularity, he was destitute at the time of his abrupt and enigmatic demise in 1849. The reason for his poor financial situation was probably alcoholism.

Herman Melville (Aug 1, 1819 – Sept 28, 1891)

American novelist and short-story writer Herman Melville is popular for Moby-Dick. Melville had a pathetic life. His eldest son Malcolm died from a self-inflicted gunshot in 1867. His other son Stanwix died in 1886 due to tuberculosis. He retired, his success was ephemeral and his professional career was in marked decline. He was drowned in financial difficulties. In 1891, Melville died due to cardiovascular disease.

O. Henry (Sept 11, 1862 – Jun 5, 1910)

American writer O. Henry (real name William Sydney Porter) is known for his short stories. Some of his popular short stories include The Gift of the Magi, The Ransom of Red Chief, The Duplicity of Hargraves, and more. Henry was virtually penniless and the reasons were his carefree nature towards money and alcoholism. His wife Sarah left him in 1909. He died on June 5 of 1910 due to diabetes, cirrhosis of the liver, and an enlarged heart.

Joseph Roth (Sept 2, 1894 – May 27, 1939)

Austrian novelist and journalist Joseph Roth was popular for his family saga Radetzky March. It was after the publication of Radetzky March and Job he gained popularity as a novelist. After Hitler rose to power, Joseph Roth fled his adopted house of Berlin as he was a prominent liberal Jewish journalist. Roth’s situation deteriorated further due to their addiction to alcohol, his wife who was suffering from Schizophrenia, and his unstable financial condition.

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