Walt Whitman

WALT WHITMAN was an American poet, essayist, and journalist who worked across nine editions of his landmark collection Leaves of Grass, first published at his own expense in 1855. He is the author of Leaves of Grass and Drum-Taps.

Whitman held positions as a printer, teacher, journalist, and government clerk before devoting himself to poetry. He is widely regarded as the father of free verse in American literature.

During the Civil War, Whitman served as a volunteer nurse in Washington, D.C. That experience directly shaped Drum-Taps and his elegies on Abraham Lincoln, including O Captain! My Captain!

Whitman was born in West Hills, Long Island, New York, and spent his final years in Camden, New Jersey, where he died on March 26, 1892.

Walt Whitman’s books are published by SkyLight Paths, an imprint of Turner Publishing.

Browse more: New Releases · Award-Winning Books