Leaves of Grass (Collins Classics)

Description

HarperCollins is proud to present its incredible range of best-loved, essential classics. I believe a leaf of grass is no less than the journey work of the stars... First published in 1855, and edited, revised and expanded over thirty years, 'Leaves of Grass' has become one of the most celebrated poetry collections in the history of American literature. A master of free verse, Walt Whitman captures the true spirit of his homeland and its people through his poetry. He explores a wide range of themes, encompassing American identity and cultural values, democracy, nature and the mysteries of the human spirit. Featuring the poems of the original 1855 edition, 'Leaves of Grass' remains an influential work within the American literary tradition, studied and treasured around the world.

Walt Whitman was born on Long Island, New York in 1819. He spent most of his early life in Brooklyn where he served as editor for a number of newspapers for brief periods. His first major work, Leaves of Grass, was published in 1855 and was subsequently published in nine enlarged editions throughout his lifetime. In 1862 in the midst of the Civil War, Whitman set out for the battlefield to find his wounded brother and continued to volunteer in hospitals throughout the length of the war. He died in 1892.

'I greet you at the beginning of a great career.' Letter from Ralph Waldo Emerson to Walt Whitman, 1855 'The most extraordinary piece of wit and wisdom that America has yet contributed.' Ralph Waldo Emerson 'America's poet... He is America.' Ezra Pound 'If you are American, then Walt Whitman is your imaginative father and mother, even if, like myself, you have never composed a line of verse.' Harold Bloom, literary critic