Walt Whitman. Walter "Walt" Whitman (/ˈhwɪtmən/; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. A humanist, he was 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.[1] His work was very controversial in its time, particularly his poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described as obscene for its overt sexuality. Born in Huntington on Long Island, Whitman worked as a journalist, a teacher, a government clerk, and—in addition to publishing his poetry—was a volunteer nurse during the American Civil War. Early in his career, he also produced a temperance novel, Franklin Evans (1842).
Whitman's major work, Leaves of Grass, was first published in 1855 with his own money. The work was an attempt at reaching out to the common person with an American epic. Whitman was concerned with politics throughout his life. Robert Frost. Robert Lee Frost (March 26, 1874 – January 29, 1963) was an American poet. His work was initially published in England before it was published in America. He is highly regarded for his realistic depictions of rural life and his command of American colloquial speech.[2] His work frequently employed settings from rural life in New England in the early twentieth century, using them to examine complex social and philosophical themes. One of the most popular and critically respected American poets of the twentieth century,[3] Frost was honored frequently during his lifetime, receiving four Pulitzer Prizes for Poetry.
He became one of America's rare "public literary figures, almost an artistic institution. " [3] He was awarded the Congressional Gold Medal in 1960 for his poetical works. Biography Early years Robert Frost, circa 1910 Although known for his later association with rural life, Frost grew up in the city, and he published his first poem in his high school's magazine. Adult years Work. Wallace Stevens. Wallace Stevens (October 2, 1879 – August 2, 1955) was an American Modernist poet. He was born in Reading, Pennsylvania, educated at Harvard and then New York Law School, and he spent most of his life working as an executive for an insurance company in Hartford, Connecticut.
He won the Pulitzer Prize for Poetry for his Collected Poems in 1955. Life and career[edit] Education and marriage[edit] The son of a prosperous lawyer, Stevens attended Harvard as a non-degree special student, after which he moved to New York City and briefly worked as a journalist. In 1913, the Stevenses rented a New York City apartment from sculptor Adolph A. Career[edit] After working for several New York law firms from 1904 to 1907, he was hired on January 13, 1908, as a lawyer for the American Bonding Company.[4] By 1914 he had become the vice-president of the New York office of the Equitable Surety Company of St.
Stevens' Hartford residence. Travel[edit] Death[edit] Political views[edit] Poetry[edit] Oh! . . . Elizabeth Bishop. Elizabeth Bishop (February 8, 1911 – October 6, 1979) was an American poet and short-story writer. She was the Poet Laureate of the United States from 1949 to 1950, the Pulitzer Prize winner for Poetry in 1956,[1] the National Book Award winner in 1970, and the recipient of the Neustadt International Prize for Literature in 1976.[2] Life and career[edit] Early years[edit] Elizabeth Bishop, an only child, was born in Worcester, Massachusetts. After her father, a successful builder, died when she was eight months old, Bishop’s mother became mentally ill and was institutionalized in 1916. Later in childhood, Bishop's paternal family gained custody. Influences[edit] It was four years before Bishop addressed "Dear Miss Moore" as "Dear Marianne" and only then at the elder poet’s invitation.
She was introduced to Robert Lowell by Randall Jarrell in 1947, and they became great friends, mostly through their written correspondence, until Lowell's death in 1977. Travels[edit] Later career[edit] Elizabeth Bishop "The Moose" E. E. Cummings. Edward Estlin Cummings (October 14, 1894 – September 3, 1962), known as E. E. Cummings, with the abbreviated form of his name often written by others in lowercase letters as e e cummings (in the style of some of his poems—see name and capitalization, below), was an American poet, painter, essayist, author, and playwright.
His body of work encompasses approximately 2,900 poems, two autobiographical novels, four plays and several essays, as well as numerous drawings and paintings. He is remembered as an eminent voice of 20th century poetry. Life[edit] i thank You God for most this amazing day:for the leaping greenly spirits of trees and a blue true dream of sky; and for everything which is natural which is infinite which is yes From "i thank You God for most this amazing" (1950) Early years[edit] Edward Estlin Cummings was born into a Unitarian family, son of Edward Cummings and Rebecca Haswell Clarke.
The war years[edit] They were imprisoned with other detainees in a large room. Grave of E.