The Poetry of Walt Whitman.
On May 31 1819 American poet essayist and journalist Walt Whitman was born. Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse. A humanist, he was a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism incorporating both views in his works. Walt Whitman ended his formal education at the age of 11 in order to work and support his large family financially. First, he was an office boy and later he was apprenticed at the weekly Long Island newspaper, the Patriot. It is assumed that occasionally, he was able to write filler material for the paper. Before he turned 16, Whitman took a position at the shop of Alden Spooner, editor of the leading Whig weekly newspaper the Long-Island Star, where he began attending theater performances, joined a town debating society, and and anonymously published some of his earliest poetry. The young poet then moved to New York City in order to find some work as a compositor, but had some difficulties. After this failed attempt, Whitman moved back in with his family at Long Island and started a teaching career. In the following period, Whitman started an attempt to create his own newspaper but was again forced to teach. Still, he published a series of ten editorials called "Sun-Down Papers—From the Desk of a Schoolmaster", between the winter of 1840 and July 1841. He went back to New York to work for several newspapers with modest success. Still, he determined to become a poet and in 1850 he began writing what would become Leaves of Grass a collection of poetry which he would continue editing and revising until his death. At the end of June 1855 Whitman surprised his brothers with the already-printed first edition of Leaves of Grass Unfortunately, his brother George "didn't think it worth reading". However, the book received a good attention and was praised the most by Ralph Waldo Emerson who wrote a flattering five-page letter to Whitman and spoke highly of the book to friends. The more critical responses tended to focus on the potentially offensive sexual themes. Whitman was highly influenced by the Civil War. He was worried that his brother was wounded and made his way to find him. Luckily, George had only small wounds, but seeing the wounded soldiers and the heaps of their amputated limbs affected the author. Whitman volunteered as a nurse in army hospitals and published a book called 'Memoranda During the War' about 12 years later. Whitman soon started working for the government, but was fired on June 30, 1865 presumably because of his 1860 edition of Leaves of Grass However, his friend Douglas O'Connor highly protested and published a biased and exaggerated biographical study,. The Good Gray Poet, in January 1866 which defended Whitman as a wholesome patriot established the poet's nickname and increased his popularity. Also important for Whitman's fame in this period was the publication of "the famous poem on the death of Abraham Lincoln Poems of Walt Whitman was published in 1868 in England which became highly popular. Due to his declining health, Whitman moved in with his brother and still was very productive in this period, publishing three versions of Leaves of Grass among other works. He was also last fully physically active in this house, receiving both Oscar Wilde and Thomas Eakins. After Whitman had moved into his own house, he prepared a final edition of Leaves of Grass a version that has been nicknamed the "Deathbed Edition". Walt Whitman passed away on March 26 1892. At yovisto, you may be interested in a video lecture on Walt Whitman and the Civil War by Terrence Pratt.