Glance of Walt Whitman - World of Biography

<< At a Glance

WALT WHITMAN [1819 – 1892] Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman, the great poet, was every inch an American. His poems, including those in Leaves Of Grass, advocate the principles of freedom and democracy that the USA always stood for. Even his style of writing deviated quite a bit from the usual 19th century poetry. His free verse and experiments with rhythem are outstanding compared to the meter-bound structures in use at his time.

Apart from being a poet he was also an essayist, short story writer, journalist, editor, printer and educator. He was a true nationalist. His poems upheld the democratic values of the United States of America. He expressed, "The chief reason for the being of the United States of America is to bring about the common goodwill of all mankind, the solidarity of the world." Leaves of Grass, his collection of poems is considered to be one of the world’s major literary works and is acclaimed as a revolutionary development in poetry. At the time of his death, Whitman was more respected in Europe than in his country. He was acknowledged and recognized as a symbol of American democracy. This surpassed the recognition and fame he got as a poet. His universality and versatility made him one of America’s greatest poets.