Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
American poet and educator (1807–1882) / From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American teacher and poet. Some of his poems are "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's The Divine Comedy.[1] He was one of the five Fireside Poets. He was one of the most influential persons in the culture of the 1800s in the USA.[2]
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow | |
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Born | (1807-02-27)February 27, 1807 Portland, Maine, United States |
Died | March 24, 1882(1882-03-24) (aged 75) Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States |
Occupation | Poet Professor |
Literary movement | Romanticism |
Signature |
Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine and studied at Bowdoin College. He then spent time in Europe. He returned and became a professor at Bowdoin and, later, at Harvard College. His first major books of poetry were Voices of the Night (1839) and Ballads and Other Poems (1841). Longfellow retired from teaching in 1854 to spend more time writing. He lived the rest of his life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, living in George Washington's old headquarters building. His first wife, Mary Potter, died in 1835 after a miscarriage. His second wife, Frances Appleton, died in 1861 after her dress caught fire. Longfellow had difficulty writing poetry for a time after she died. He mostly worked on his translation. He died in 1882.
Longfellow mainly wrote lyric poems which are known for their musicality. His poems often told stories of mythology and legend. He became the most popular American poet while he was alive. He was also successful in other countries. Some criticized him for imitating European styles and for writing poems for everyday people. In 1884, Longfellow became the first non-British writer for whom a commemorative bust was placed in Poet's Corner of Westminster Abbey in London. He is the only American poet represented with a bust.[3]