The Poetry of Walt Whitman

by Walt Whitman, Peter Strauss (Reading)

Revered as one of the most influential American poets of all time, Walt Whitman used his own money to publish his first collection of poetry in a slim volume called Leaves of Grass. Over the following years, it became his life's work as he continuously revised and expanded it.

Freed from the restraints of tradition, Whitman's exuberance shines through every poem. His uplifting verses and powerful language provide a stunning experience unmatched by his contemporaries, and exercised and incredible influence on his fellow countrymen. The poems selected here take you on a whirlwind tour of emotions as he whisks you from celebrations of sexuality to his inspirational accounts of society.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Audiobook, Reference

191 pages, Paperback

Published January 1, 2018

About the author

Walter Whitman Jr. was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature. Whitman incorporated both transcendentalism and realism in his writings and is often called the father of free verse. His work was controversial in his time, particularly his 1855 poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which was described by some as obscene for its overt sensuality.
Whitman was born in Huntington on Long Island, and lived in Brooklyn as a child and through much of his career. At the age of 11, he left formal schooling to go to work. He worked as a journalist, a teacher, and a government clerk. Whitman's major poetry collection, Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855, was financed with his own money and became well known. The work was an attempt to reach out to the common person with an American epic. Whitman continued expanding and revising Leaves of Grass until his death in 1892.
During the American Civil War, he went to Washington, D.C., and worked in hospitals caring for the wounded. His poetry often focused on both loss and healing. On the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, whom Whitman greatly admired, he authored two poems, "O Captain! My Captain!" and "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloom'd", and gave a series of lectures on Lincoln. After suffering a stroke towards the end of his life, Whitman moved to Camden, New Jersey, where his health further declined. When he died at the age of 72, his funeral was a public event.
Whitman's influence on poetry remains strong. Art historian Mary Berenson wrote, "You cannot really understand America without Walt Whitman, without Leaves of Grass... He has expressed that civilization, 'up to date,' as he would say, and no student of the philosophy of history can do without him." Modernist poet Ezra Pound called Whitman "America's poet... He is America."

Reviews

[꧁ ꕥ James ꕥ ꧂ · Rating 3 out of 5]

3.5 ⭐️

Walt Whitman was incredibly influential, and his writing is nothing short of fantastic. Just down to personal preference with poetry, and I do not like long form poems!

[Christian Hamaker · Rating 5 out of 5]

I bought this for a dollar at a library sale, and it's wonderful. I own a copy of most of these poems, but rarely read them. Instead, my exposure to Whitman comes mainly through my listening to Fred Hersch's musical adaptation of "Leaves of Grass," my favorite recording of the 2000s. To then hear the same verses recited (vigorously) by the narrator here gives me the kind of thrill I've always been told it should give me on the page. I don't know why I have to hear the poem read to feel that charge, but so be it. This CD delivers exactly what I hoped it would.

[Fern Adams · Rating 3 out of 5]

I’m always intrigued by Walt Whitman’s poems but I’m never sure how much I actually like them. They make you think though which is no bad thing!

[m]

i hope one day i can see things a bit more like he did

[Eric · Rating 4 out of 5]

Very America and gay coded, make America gay again

[Maddie Pearson · Rating 3 out of 5]

A decent introduction to Whitman's work. I enjoyed the narrators as well.

[Jill - Reader in the Rue Morgue · Rating 2 out of 5]

Whitman’s poetry isn’t my favourite, but his writing is still elegant and powerful. A lot of his words seem to come from a place of frustration and you can tell that he was a very passionate and just person. Whitman’s words are classic and I would recommend that you take a gander!

[Jessie B. · Rating 4 out of 5]

A solid collection

[Alexia · Rating 4 out of 5]

I would give this 5 stars save the fact that there is a slight shallowness to the writing of a white man circa 1860s that leaves me craving just slightly more depth. Whitman but with an intersectional lens? I know he was trying his best, and it was delightful.

That being said, I am so happy I read this. Walt Whitman is obviously referenced widely through pop culture in modernity from breaking bad to introductions from favourite authors such as Linda Hogan. There is a sweetness to Whitman writing that is enchanting, despite his era appropriate fixation on topics such as democracy, colonialism, and slavery.

While these heavy objective elements carry through lots of his shorter poems, there is a subliminal element of subjective existentialism that is deafening at every page, especially in leaves of grass and then reconciled in his later pieces. Whitman was evidently very enticed by mortality and existence in a way I find isn’t always so openly included in writing (perhaps it is taboo, or too breaking of the fourth wall?) and spoken of with a grandiosity that resonated deeply.

This book made me smile from ear to ear and it made me sob, truly, with marvel. Whitman was able to bend the rules of space and time. I felt after I read this like I knew him. I felt after I read this that he knew me.

[Caroline · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poetry of Walt Whitman is a collection containing 49 poems by the famous poet. The poems range in length from 75 pages (Song of Myself) to just a few lines long. Whitman explores themes of nature, love, self, triumph, defeat, and much more. Whitman’s eloquent style is present in each poem, making each poem recognizably his own. The famous poet’s poetry truly acts as a window into his thoughts and soul.

I loved this poetry collection. Specifically, some of my favorite poems were One Hour to Madness and Joy, To One Shortly To Die, That Shadow My Likeness, A Glimpse, Sometimes With One I Love, I Sit And Look Out, and O Me! O Life! Walt Whitman’s writing style is so beautifully expressive and eloquent that I truly enjoyed reading each and every one of the poems in this collection, even the ones that weren’t my favorite. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes poetry, or is trying to get into it more!

[c_reads_books · Rating 5 out of 5]

The Poetry of Walt Whitman is a collection containing 49 poems by the famous poet. The poems range in length from 75 pages (Song of Myself) to just a few lines long. Whitman explores themes of nature, love, self, triumph, defeat, and much more. Whitman’s eloquent style is present in each poem, making each poem recognizably his own. The famous poet’s poetry truly acts as a window into his thoughts and soul.

I loved this poetry collection. Specifically, some of my favorite poems were One Hour to Madness and Joy, To One Shortly To Die, That Shadow My Likeness, A Glimpse, Sometimes With One I Love, I Sit And Look Out, and O Me! O Life! Walt Whitman’s writing style is so beautifully expressive and eloquent that I truly enjoyed reading each and every one of the poems in this collection, even the ones that weren’t my favorite. I would recommend this book to anyone who likes poetry, or is trying to get into it more!

[Bertha · Rating 4 out of 5]

“I have no mockings or arguments, I witness and wait.”

“And these tend inward to me, and I tend outward to them, And such as it is to be of these more or less I am, And of these one and all I weave the song of myself.

I am of old and young, of the foolish as much as the wise, Regardless of others, ever regardful of others…”

“I exist as I am, that is enough,
If no other in the world be aware I sit content, And if each and all be aware I sit content.
One world is aware and by far the largest to me, and that is myself,
And whether I come to my own to-day or in ten thousand or ten million years,
I can cheerfully take it now, or with equal cheerfulness I can wait.”

[Lana]

Walt Whitman really understands love and compassion. He is out here saying I am like every person there is and I am great and all are great, with the obvious exceptions.

Be warned though this version of his poetry by Arcturus Publishing Limited isn’t good. It’s got many errors in it which are not due to the style of writing during Walt’s time. So if you want to get the true bardic understanding of how the lines and flow should be look to a different publisher as they publishers neglect to edit properly towards the end of the book, making grammatical mistakes, and even at one point misspelling Shakespeare.

[Clare Laudy · Rating 3 out of 5]

Glad to have finally read some Walt Whitman! I think my personal preference leans toward other poets but there were several poems that stuck out for me.

Also good to know that people in the 1800s were trying to figure out life just as much as we are now! :

‘O me, O life?

Answer:

That you are here - that life exists and identity,
That the powerful play goes on, and you may contribute a verse.’

🎶

[Chelsea Roles · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5 ⭐
Surprised at how much I enjoyed this one.

'Agonies are one of my changes of garments,
I do not ask the wounded person how he feels, I myself
become the wounded person,
My hurts turn livid upon me as I lean on a cane and observe .'

'Failing to fetch me at first keep encouraged,
Missing me one place search another,
I stop somewhere waiting for you.'

[Angie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I read this book as an audiobook. I have to say, its melancholic to listen to Walt’s poems whilst in quarantine. If I was on the train ride home or a walk from the bookshop of some sort, this book would’ve made all the difference in the world. This is not a review but an entree of some sort :)

[BB · Rating 5 out of 5]

I DID IT !!!!!!
RTC BUT I REALLY LIKED IT
ONLY TOOK ME SINCE WHEN I READ KING OF CROWS

[cameron rouse · Rating 3 out of 5]

it was a poetry collection! some i loved, some i disliked, some i felt ambivalent towards. three stars:)

[Kendal · Rating 4 out of 5]

I love walt whitman but sometimes I can't get past patriotism which is why this is 4 and not 5 but still going on the favorites shelf

[meg (the.hidden.colophon) · Rating 1 out of 5]

I absolutely cannot stand Whitman’s poetry. I’ll keep this collection around for reference purposes only.

[Sebastian · Rating 4 out of 5]

"As I flit through you hastily, soon to fall and be gone, what is this chant, / What am I myself but one of your meteors?" 😭

[Shane Kaler · Rating 2 out of 5]

I appreciate the themes but his execution is exhausting.

[a]

inspired me to write some more poetry

[Olivia Nahmias · Rating 5 out of 5]

*5 stars*
This should be a reading requirement for everyone, particularly for those who appreciate classic poetry and the greats. Whitman’s celebration of personhood is contagious.

[milo · Rating 5 out of 5]

this is more relevant now than ever. it's such a shame that bigotry is allowed, but books like this may have changed minds in the past and hopefully will still

[Riss · Rating 2 out of 5]

Not a huge fan of it. A lot of self-righteous bastard bullshit. But I can appreciate the history and his step into the taboo with more provocative writing about both men and women.

[Nayeli · Rating 4 out of 5]

I think it's a great introduction to Whitman, it examines three poems and although the PDF that comes with the CD's doesn't contain the poems themselves but only an introduction, they are not that difficult to find if one wishes to read further, and in any case a useful glossary is included. As for the audio, Peter Strauss reads clearly and has good pronunciation, the readings are indeed pretty dramatic. It does leave you wanting to read more works of the author, which I guess is the aim of the study guide in the first place.

[Ben · Rating 4 out of 5]

My first foray into poetry--aside from the juvenile rhymes and verses of Tolkien in his Tom Bombadill volume. I certainly struggled through a lot of this, because I default to propositions and prose. But, I think Whitman was a great choice for me, because of his humanist-like explorations (with pantheistic tendencies)--I'm a sucker for weird religious musings. Free verse is interesting, but I'll be interested to explore more poetry that has the constraints of meter and rhyme, because it necessarily condenses expression to the rules of the poem.

[Christopher Julian · Rating 4 out of 5]

I’ve never taken the time to read poetry. This intrigued me simply because it was cheap and I wanted a new book for the summer. This is #2 of 3. I soon realized I couldn’t read this quickly. Poetry is not like a book with chapters. In each poem, there is so much imagery that you must read slowly in order to take it all in and appreciate it. Each poem is like a book unto itself, a story, almost a quick novel. I’ll read more.

[tori · Rating 1 out of 5]

it was ok. some poems were amazing like ‘to you’ and ‘to a stranger’ and ‘whoever you are holding me now in hand’ but the others are so boring. it’s all ‘war’ and ‘boat’ and ‘who am i? what is life’ repetitive and boring. but the few shined bright saving it with a 2. also there were lots of questionable lines and a lot of using the word ‘conception’ and ‘mother’ to describe women. little icky