Walt Whitman's America by D Reynolds

Walt Whitman's America by D Reynolds

Winner of the Bancroft Prize and the Ambassador Book Award and
Finalist for the National for the Book Critics Circle Award

In his poetry Walt Whitman set out to encompass all of America and in so doing heal its deepening divisions. This magisterial biography demonstrates the epic scale of his achievement, as well as the dreams and anxieties that impelled it, for it places the poet securely within the political and cultural context of his age.

Combing through the full range of Whitman's writing, David Reynolds shows how Whitman gathered inspiration from every stratum of nineteenth-century American life: the convulsions of slavery and depression; the raffish dandyism of the Bowery b'hoys; the exuberant rhetoric of actors, orators, and divines. We see how Whitman reconciled his own sexuality with contemporary social mores and how his energetic courtship of the public presaged the vogues of advertising and celebrity. Brilliantly researched, captivatingly told, Walt Whitman's America is a triumphant work of scholarship that breathes new life into the biographical genre.

SKU	Unavailable
ISBN 13	9780394580234
ISBN 10	0394580230
Title	Walt Whitman's America
Author	D Reynolds
Condition	Unavailable
Binding Type	Hardback
Publisher	Alfred A. Knopf
Year published	1995-03-28
Number of pages	671
Cover note	Book picture is for illustrative purposes only, actual binding, cover or edition may vary.