Walt Whitman (1819-1892) 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.
1. Walt Whitman, A Life
by Justin Kaplan. HarperCollins. From the publisher: "Whitman's genius, passions, poetry, and androgynous sensibility entwined to create an exuberant life amid the turbulent American mid-nineteenth century. In vivid detail, Kaplan examines the mysterious selves of the enigmatic man who celebrated the freedom and dignity of the individual and sang the praises of democracy and the brotherhood of man."
2. Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself
by Jerome Loving. University of California Press. From the publisher: "Walt Whitman: The Song of Himself is the first full-length critical biography of Walt Whitman in more than forty years. Jerome Loving makes use of recently unearthed archival evidence and newspaper writings to present the most accurate, complete, and complex portrait of the poet to date. This biography affords fresh, often revelatory, insights into many aspects of the poet's life..."3. To Walt Whitman, America
by Kenneth M. Price. University of North Carolina Press. From the publisher: "Price examines Whitman's own writings as well as those of writers who were influenced by him, paying particular attention to Whitman's legacies for an ethnically and sexually diverse America. He focuses on fictional works by Edith Wharton, D. H. Lawrence, John Dos Passos, Ishmael Reed, and Gloria Naylor, among others. In Price's study, Leaves of Grass emerges as a living document..."4. The Better Angel: Walt Whitman in the Civil War
by Roy Morris. Oxford University Press. From the publisher: "Brilliantly researched and beautifully written, 'The Better Angel' explores a side of Whitman not fully examined before, one that greatly enriches our understanding of his later poetry. Moreover, it gives us a vivid and unforgettable portrait of the 'other army'--the legions of sick and wounded soldiers who are usually left in the shadowy background of Civil War history..."5. The Poetry of Walt Whitman
by Nick Selby. Palgrave. From the publisher: "This Readers' Guide assembles some of the most important critical writings about Walt Whitman in order to demonstrate how critical debate about him has reflected changing perceptions of America itself. Starting with early reviews, the guide moves through essays that elevate Whitman to America's spokesman, its 'good gray poet,' and closes with essays that discuss Whitman in the light of postmodern, cultural materialist, and 'queer' reading practices."6. A Historical Guide to Walt Whitman
by David S. Reynolds (Editor). Oxford University Press. From the publisher: "Few authors are so well suited to historical study as Whitman, who is widely considered America's greatest poet. This 'Guide' combines contemporary cultural studies and historical scholarship to illuminate Whitman's diverse contexts. The essays explore dimensions of Whitman's dynamic relationship to working-class politics, race and slavery, sexual mores, the visual arts, and the idea of democracy."7. Walt Whitman's America: A Cultural Biography
by David S. Reynolds. Knopf Publishing Group. From the publisher: "In his poetry Walt Whitman set out to encompass all of America and in so doing heal its deepening divisions. This magisterial biography demonstrates the epic scale of his achievement, as well as the dreams and anxieties that impelled it, for it places the poet securely within the political and cultural context of his age."8. Readings on Walt Whitman
by Gary Wiener (Editor). Gale Group. From the publisher: "Poet, essayist, and journalist Walt Whitman was a remarkably diverse man whose unconventionality made him unpopular with his contemporary reading audience."9. Walt Whitman
by Walt Whitman and Harold Bloom. Sterling Publishing. From the publisher: "Celebrate the poetry of one of America's greatest writers. Best known for his anthology 'Leaves of Grass,' Walt Whitman truly captured the country's spirit as it began to mature; all the issues that concerned this growing democracy--from immigration and race to the plight of working men and women--became the subject of his poems."10. The Portable Walt Whitman
by Walt Whitman, Mark Van Doren, Malcolm Cowley, and Gay Wilson Allen. Penguin. From the publisher: "When Walt Whitman self-published Leaves of Grass in 1855 it was a slim volume of twelve poems and he was a journalist and poet from Long Island, little-known but full of ambition and poetic fire. To give a new voice to the new nation shaken by civil war, he spent his entire life revising and adding to the work..."