Walt Whitman

“The art of art, the glory of expression and the sunshine of the light of letters, is simplicity.”

— Walt Whitman

Life & Background:

Born in 1819 in New York, Whitman was a self-taught poet, journalist, and humanist. His free-verse masterpiece Leaves of Grass celebrated the individual, the body, and American diversity. He redefined poetry in both form and voice.

Inspirations:

Transcendentalism, nature, democracy, sexuality, and the Civil War.

Themes in His Work:

• Unity of body and soul

• The self in harmony with the universe

• Love, desire, and freedom

• America as a living organism

• Spiritual democracy

Notable Works:

• Leaves of Grass

• Song of Myself

• When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom’d