Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an America poet and school teacher. Born on Long Island and raised in Brooklyn, he received little formal education.

His poetry often rejects traditional rhymes, meters, and themes in favor of free verse reflecting democratic egalitarianism and personal liberty. His major work, Leaves of Grass, was originally self-published. One of the first to receive a copy of Leaves of Grass was the American intellectual and essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson who praised the book as "the finest piece of wit and wisdom to yet come from these states." Later Emerson would become critical of Whitman's mode of expressing sexuality, a criticism shared by others who perceived amoral and homoerotic aspects in his writings. Only in later years did his powerful writing style and American themes win Whitman the admiration of the literary community. Whitman spent his later years working in hospitals during the Civil War watching over the wounded. There are still extant many letters from soldiers and their families expressing deep thanks and love for Whitman's benevelence at this time. Henry James attempted to emulate Whitman by visiting hospitals during WWI but his biographies have noted that despite his sincerity he was not able to connect as deeply as Whitman was.