This edition reproduces the 1891-2 text and includes Whitman's Preface to the 1855 edition as well as Emerson's famous letter of 1855 greeting Whitman at the beginning of a great career. In this sense Leaves of Grass is autobiography, but the poet's vision embraces the vigorous spirit of the whole American nation. Whitman saw his verses as more than a literary performance, they were an expression of his own emotional and other personal nature.

Today Whitman is regarded as America's Homer or Dante, and his work as the touchstone for literary originality in the New World. He broke down the standard metered line, discarded the obligatory rhyming scheme and freely expressed himself in the living vernacular of American speech. It is not only the allusions to sex and physiology that disturbed Whitman's critics but also his departure from the rules of conventional poetry. To world literature, the book went on to provoke strong reactions from its readers. Described by Emily Dickinson as disgraceful and by Emerson as the most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America had yet contributed (Summary adapted from wikipedia.The first edition of Leaves of Grass had received little attention until a positive review appeared, in fact written by Walt Whitman himself. The book grew from 12 poems in its first publication, which Whitman paid for and typeset himself, to nearly 400 poems in its final, “Death Bed Edition.” This recording is of the final edition. In 1855, an answer came with Walt Whitman’s Leaves. Whitman continually revised and republished Leaves of Grass throughout his lifetime, notably adding the “Drum-Taps” section after Lincoln’s assassination. Leaves of Grass by Walt Whitman: 9780451419170 : Books Ralph Waldo Emerson issued a call for a great poet to capture and immortalize the unique American experience. Despite such high recommendations, Whitman faced charges of obscenity and immorality for his work, but this only led to increased popularity of the book. Whitman’s hero, Abraham Lincoln, read and enjoyed an early version of Leaves of Grass. When the book was first published, Whitman sent a copy to Emerson, whose praiseful letter of response helped launch the book to success. Whitman was inspired to begin Leaves of Grass after reading an essay by Ralph Waldo Emerson which expressed a need for a uniquely American poet.

Where much previous poetry, especially English, relied on symbolism, allegory, and meditation on the religious and spiritual, Leaves of Grass exalted the body and the material world. Download cover art Download CD case insert Leaves of GrassĪmerican poet Walt Whitman’s Leaves of Grass, is a collection of poems notable for its frank delight in and praise of the senses, during a time when such candid displays were considered immoral.

Leaves of grass by walt whitman