Whitman: The Mystic Poets

by Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman was the most innovative and influential poet of the nineteenth century. His examination of the world around him -- from the intimate to the cosmic -- transcends time and place. His verse, though seemingly personal, lends a voice to the entire human race that speaks for universal harmony, universal love. This beautiful sampling of Whitman's work offers a glimpse into his themes of love for country, love for others, and deepening our understanding of self. Viewing Whitman as a mystic poet illuminates the influences of spirituality, music, and nature that made his poems beloved by people of all faiths and nationalities.

186 pages, Hardcover

First published October 1, 2004

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

[Jonathan Bracker · Rating 5 out of 5]

As far as I know, this is the only selection of Whitman's poems that does what I have always thought should be done: it gives sections of "Song of Myself" as separate poems, giving each a simple title taken from Whitman's words in the poem itself. I only wish the editor, Gary David Comstock, had done the same with each of the 52 sections of Whitman's long poem -- making it reader-friendly for the first time.

(Whitman himself said he welcomed, in years to come after his death, editors who would "tinker" with Leaves Of Grass in any way that would make its message clearer.)

[Grady Ormsby · Rating 5 out of 5]

Whitman: The Mystic Poets with preface by Gary David Comstock is part of The Mystic Poets Series from Skylight Path Publishing. To say that Walt Whitman was ahead of his time is not sufficient. Walt Whitman was, and still is, out of time. His work ranges from the vastness of the cosmos to the infinitesimal tininess of the atomic. He touches on almost every conceivable theme: humanity, nature, creativity and beauty. He examines all of our emotions and passions: hope, fear, pain, suffering, joy, love, compassion, ecstasy, pride, greed and kindness. He explores every physical endeavor: history, politics, exploration, work and war. In his work there is a passion for justice, equality and tolerance. The creative spirit is also a subject for his consideration: music, dancing, art and literature. In its totality Whitman’s work qualifies as a religion. There is food for the soul, solace for pain and loneliness, a guide for right living and a recipe for joy and happiness. He kindly skips the dogma, the sin, the guilt and pomposity.
June 22, 2016