Whitman, Walt

Walt Whitman was an American poet, journalist, and essayist. The work for which he is best known is "Leaves of Grass," which has been controversial and banned. He has been called the greatest American poet of his time. Read more about what happened in the life of Walt Whitman, with this brief chronology...

Walt Whitman first published "Leaves of Grass" in 1855, with 12 poems. In subsequent editions, Whitman dramatically expanded his collection of works. Controversy has also surrounded Walt Whitman's celebration of America.

(1819-1892) American writer. Walt Whitman lived through the Civil War; his poetry dramatically depicts the tragic loss. Of course, Whitman is perhaps most famous for "Leaves of Grass," his popular and controversial poetry anthology. Read more about the life and works of Walt Whitman.

(1819-1892) American writer. Walt Whitman is known for his famous, and controversial, collection of poems, "Leaves of Grass." Whitman received little money with the first edition of "Leaves of Grass," but he did receive some attention, including a letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson.

Walt Whitman burst upon the literary scene in 1855 with the first publication of "Leaves of Grass." The world of literature would never be the same again. Whitman sang a song of America, but as Kenneth Price's study shows, Whitman's words have taken on a life of their own.

Read the poems of Walt Whitman.

While he takes a great deal of material from Christianity, his conception of religion is much more complicated than the beliefs of one or two faiths mixed together. Whitman seems to draw from the many roots of belief to form his own religion, putting himself as the center.

(1819-1892) American writer. Walt Whitman is known for his famous, and controversial, collection of poems, Leaves of Grass. Read more about the life and works of Walt Whitman.