Leaves of Grass
About this ebook
Originally published in 1855, Whitman worked on this collection of poems for the entirety of his life. He continued to revise and make better his anthology; in its final publication Leaves of Grass contained over 400 pages of remarkable poetry. The poems within reflected many of Whitman’s values and beliefs, specifically pertaining to his philosophy of transcendentalism and the role of man within nature. Unafraid of straying from normal conventions of poetry, Whitman’s work is considered to be one of the most important and lasting contributions to literature made by an American poet.
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About the author
Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American writer famously known for his poetry collection, Leaves of Grass. In addition to his poetry, Whitman was also a prominent essayist, journalist, and humanist with works centering mainly around the topics of transcendentalism and realism. Born in New York in 1819, Whitman worked at a printing press where he then transitioned to a full-time journalist. During his time in journalism, Whitman developed many important beliefs, many of them formed after having witnessed the auctioning of enslaved individuals. Over the course of his career, Whitman remained very politically aware, disavowing the bloody nature of the Civil War and dedicating resources to help the wounded in various hospitals in New York City. Whitman spent his declining years working on revisions for Leaves of Grass, which was largely thereafter referred to as his “Deathbed Edition.”
