Walt Whitman: A Companion

Walt Whitman created, in various editions of Leaves of Grass, what is arguably the most influential book of poems anywhere in the past 200 years. Whitman absorbed the world, transmuting it into poems that address a spectrum of topics--from democracy and religion to sexuality, gender, class, and identity. He exuberantly incarnated his epoch at the same time as he invoked ＂＂you＂＂-- readers and ＂＂poets to come＂＂--to join in a ＂＂poetry of the future.＂＂ The first A to Z Whitman reference to incorporate 21st century scholarship, this work is ideal for readers who want a concise introduction to the major poems and prose and to the people, places, and topics central to his life. Each of the book’s 142 entries is followed by cross-references to related entries and suggestions for further reading. Also included are a brief biography, a chronology of Whitman’s life and major works, and a bibliography of some 300 primary and secondary sources on this most timeless and contemporary of poets.

John E. Schwiebert is a professor of English at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah, where he has taught classes in Whitman, American Literature, and writing for over thirty years. Laurence W. Mazzeno, president emeritus of Alvernia University, Reading, Pennsylvania, is the author or editor of 20+ books and more than 300 articles and reviews on literature and history. He lives in Arvada, Colorado. Sue Norton, a lecturer of English at the Technological University Dublin since 1999, previously taught in University College Dublin, University College Cork and New Jersey City University.