Walt Whitman

Walter "Walt" Whitman (May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) is an American poet, essayist and journalist.

A humanist, he is a part of the transition between transcendentalism and realism, incorporating both views in his works.

Whitman is among the most influential poets in the American canon, often called the father of free verse.

His work is very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which is described as obscene for its overt sexuality.

Born on Long Island, Whitman works as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and – in addition to publishing his poetry – is a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War.

Early in his career, he also produces a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842).

Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, is first published in 1855 with his own money.

The work is an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic.

He continues expanding and revising it until his death in 1892.

After a stroke towards the end of his life, he moves to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declines.

He dies at age 72 and his funeral becomes a public spectacle.

Whitman's sexuality is often discussed alongside his poetry.

Though biographers continue to debate his sexuality, he is usually described as either homosexual or bisexual in his feelings and attractions.

However, there is disagreement among biographers as to whether Whitman had actual sexual experiences with men.

Whitman is concerned with politics throughout his life.

He supports the Wilmot Proviso and opposes the extension of slavery generally.

His poetry presents an egalitarian view of the races, and at one point he calls for the abolition of slavery, but later he sees the abolitionist movement as a threat to democracy.