jjares reviewed Walt Whitman: A Life from Beginning to End (Biographies of American Authors) on + 3278 more book reviews
This book makes clear that Walt Whitman was a complicated man. He was born in Huntington, Long Island, on May 31, 1819, but grew up in Brooklyn. At age ten, he was deeply affected by the preachings of the Quakers.
Possibly Whitman's most altruistic actions were as a volunteer in military hospitals during the Civil War. He originally went to check on his brother George, who was listed as injured in local newspapers. While in Washington, DC, Whitman got a part-time job in the army paymaster's office, which allowed him to volunteer as a nurse in the army hospitals, assisting and listening to fallen soldiers.
The British lauded Whitman long before Americans realized his power of the written word. This book explains that Whitman continued to reinvent (through revisions and adding new material) his opus, Leaves of Grass. He continued doing this for most of his life. Recognized as the "Father of Free Verse," Whitman is among the most influential American poets. Unfortunately, Whitman was not celebrated as the "Great American Poet" until long after his death.
Possibly Whitman's most altruistic actions were as a volunteer in military hospitals during the Civil War. He originally went to check on his brother George, who was listed as injured in local newspapers. While in Washington, DC, Whitman got a part-time job in the army paymaster's office, which allowed him to volunteer as a nurse in the army hospitals, assisting and listening to fallen soldiers.
The British lauded Whitman long before Americans realized his power of the written word. This book explains that Whitman continued to reinvent (through revisions and adding new material) his opus, Leaves of Grass. He continued doing this for most of his life. Recognized as the "Father of Free Verse," Whitman is among the most influential American poets. Unfortunately, Whitman was not celebrated as the "Great American Poet" until long after his death.
