Hyperion

by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

This is a pre-1923 historical reproduction that was curated for quality. Quality assurance was conducted on each of these books in an attempt to remove books with imperfections introduced by the digitization process. Though we have made best efforts - the books may have occasional errors that do not impede the reading experience. We believe this work is culturally important and have elected to bring the book back into print as part of our continuing commitment to the preservation of printed works worldwide.

Genres: Classics, Poetry, Fiction

248 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1839

About the author

An extremely popular American poet in his own lifetime, Longfellow's best-known works include The Song of Hiawatha (1855), a translation of the Divine Comedy by Dante Alighieri, done in 1864-67, Paul Revere's Ride and Evangeline. He's one of the New England poets now typically referred to as the Fireside Poets.

Longfellow graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, and after studying in Europe for several years subsequently became Bowdoin's professor of modern languages and librarian. After further study in Europe, he moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts to become professor of modern languages at Harvard in 1836. Meanwhile, Mary Potter Longfellow, his first wife, had died in 1835, following a miscarriage.

His first published collections of poetry were Voices of the Night (1839) and Ballads and Other Poems (1841). In 1854, he retired from teaching to focus on his writing. His second wife, Frances Appleton Longfellow, died in 1861 of burns sustained when her dress caught fire. After her death, for some time Longfellow had difficulty writing original poetry, and focused on translations from foreign languages.

Longfellow wrote lyric poetry noted for its musicality, and often presented stories of mythology and legend. He frequently imitated European poetic styles (and his work was popular in Europe in his day, as well as in the U.S.). As a Romantic poet, he seeks primarily to express and to evoke emotion in his poetry.

Reviews

[Adam · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is quite an old book, so obviously I can't write anything new about it. It's definitely a strange old book, because it doesn't really go anywhere. The main character is traveling across Germany, meets a couple old friends, falls in love, she breaks his heart and then...nothing.

The first part of this book was a real chore to read. It seems like it's just the authors rambling philosophical opinions. The author, or rather the main character, is an American who is in love with German poetry and literature, namely Goethe and the play Faust. It is referenced quite a bit and they even visit where Goethe grew up.

So in the beginning the reader is subjected to rambling, nonsensical, philosophical musings, in the middle we are actually treated to what appears to be the beginnings of a story, then it all falls apart at the end and nothing is truly reconciled.

Still, it was exceptionally well written and some parts are beautifully poetic. I feel like I took forever to read this though, the first part was so hard to get into.

[M Summ · Rating 3 out of 5]

This book was more a romance about the author’s love of Germany than a woman. The woman was in maybe 15% of the book. His writing style was odd, it addressed the reader often. Random stories were included as told by people the main character met on his travels. He referenced tons of other literature that was both common and uncommon. I had to read a little bit each day because I could not remember where the story left off if I didn’t read for a few days. Not sure if I will read more of him, and not sure why he’s so popular, but happy to read a “classic” and actually felt a desire to see Germany through his eyes.

[Anna · Rating 2 out of 5]

So difficult to get to grips with. Too much waffle and just I was about to give up the ghost the most amazing nature description comes along and then back to boasting. Strange book. I don't feel badly managed to read 40% of the book!🙈

[Darcel Anastasia · Rating 3 out of 5]

"Who ne'er his bread in sorrow ate,
Who ne'er the mournful, midnight hours
Weeping upon his bed has sate,
He knows you not, ye Heavenly Powers."

[Razvan Banciu · Rating 3 out of 5]

Published for the first time in 1839, this prose romance is one of Longfellow's first works (he was born in 1807) and has sold rather poorly, until the fame of the poet has changed the general opinion.
The main character is an American named Paul Flemming who has lost a dear friend and is on his way to a trip in Germany.
Some say that the story has some facts in common with Longfellow's own life, as he has lost his first wife, Mary Storer Potter, after a miscarriage.
So, this is maybe not not a masterpiece, but certainly an interesting piece of sad romance for the fans of the genre...

[Sarah Sammis · Rating 3 out of 5]

I remember liking it but the details of the book are pretty sketchy.