Who Was Walt Whitman?
Short Biography
Walt Whitman was an American poet (one of the best), essayist, and journalist. He was born May 31st, 1819 in Huntington, New York and died on March 26th, 1892 in Camden, New Jersey. At 11 years old he quit going to school and went to work.
His Work
in 1850 Walt started his life long work, Leaves of Grass, a collection of poetry. While Walt Whitman is mostly known for his poetic works he also was a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk (during the Civil War). He wrote a novel called Franklin Evans.
Personal Factoids
He was a man of no religion or of all religion, he was quoted saying “I adopt each theory, myth, god, and demi-god, / I see that the old accounts, bibles, genealogies, are true, without exception.”
Everyone continues to debate his sexuality, homosexual or bisexual, we may never know. What we do know is that only someone who has experienced love and intimacy could write with such conviction.
Walt’s Legacy
He lived and wrote, that’s what made him one of America’s most influential poets. Leaves of Grass is his most known poetic work but a trail of poems, stories, and letters his readers continue to hold close. Walt Whitman, while in person was deemed quiet and kind, was in fact loud and ahead of his time with his written words.
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