Who was the first distinctively American poet?
Walt Whitman (1819–1892) is considered the first American poet to compose a verse that showed no references to European traditions. He was the first to discard the narrative and the ode (praise poem), creating a unique and new American style. Today he is regarded as one of the greatest American poets. He published his book Leaves of Grass in 1855 and, in an effort to get recognition, sent copies to American essayist Ralph Waldo Emerson (1803–1882), Scottish essayist Thomas Carlyle (1795–1881), American poet Henry David Thoreau (1817–1862), and American novelist Nathaniel Hawthorne (1804–1864). This bold move led to high praise from both Thoreau and Emerson, who predicted that Whitman was “at the beginning of a great career.” Despite critical acclaim, however, the book was publicly criticized because of Whitman’s unconventional exaltation (praise)…
