Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman is one of the most famous American poets. He was a pacifist and stood up for all the values we have in today’s society: women’s rights, freedom of speech, equality, and freedom for all and all the other ideals which are linked to the American democracy and freedom.

He was born in 1819 in Long Island. He was the second of nine children. His family was relatively poor and due to debts they moved around a lot which was the cause of Whitman stating his childhood was sad. When he was eleven, he stopped going to school because he had to work. He was an assistant in a lawyer’s office and then in a publisher’s office where he learned everything about publishing newspaper. He worked in different publishing offices until he got a job in a library. He got involved in the cultural life of the city by coming to theaters and going to debates. With time he started publishing his first works.

When he was sixteen, he moved to New York, but it was harder to find a job because of the crisis. In 1836 he came back to Long Island and started working as a teacher. He wasn’t satisfied with his job, so he went back to New York where he started his paper called "Long Islander." Soon he sold his rights and started working as a teacher and in some offices.

Along the way, he wrote fiction and poetry. In poetry, he experimented with many different styles. During 1950’s he wrote poetry which ended up in "Leaves of Grass." He will redo and work on that book for the rest of his life. The first publication of this book was paid by Whitman, and he printed it during his breaks at work. His book provoked praises and critics, but this book is still one of the most famous books of poetry in the whole American history.

His other works are: "Franklin Evans" published in 1842, a book of poetry "Drum-Taps" and a book of philosophic works "Democratic Vistas."

Whitman died in 1892.