Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
American poet and educator, author of 'Paul Revere's Ride' and translator of Dante's Divine Comedy.
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Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include the poems "Paul Revere's Ride", The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He was the first American to completely translate Dante Alighieri's Divine Comedy and was one of the fireside poets from New England.
Lore & Background
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine (then part of Massachusetts), was an American poet and teacher. He is known for original poems like "Paul Revere's Ride," The Song of Hiawatha, and Evangeline. He became the first American to fully translate Dante's Divine Comedy and belonged to the group of New England fireside poets. After graduating from Bowdoin College, he taught there and later at Harvard College, following studies in Europe.
His early major poetry collections were Voices of the Night (1839) and Ballads and Other Poems (1841). He stopped teaching in 1854 to concentrate on writing and spent his remaining years in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the house that had served as George Washington's Revolutionary War headquarters. Longfellow's first wife, Mary Potter, died in 1835 from complications after a miscarriage.
His second wife, Frances Appleton, died in 1861 when her dress caught fire and she suffered severe burns. After her death, he struggled to write poetry for a while and instead focused on translating works from other languages. Longfellow died in 1882. His lyric poems were known for their musical quality and often retold myths and legends. He became the most popular American poet of his time and was also successful abroad, though critics later faulted him for imitating European styles and for being overly sentimental.
Reader's Guide
Longfellow wrote many lyric poems known for their musicality and often presenting stories of mythology and legend. He became the most popular American poet of his day and had success overseas. He has been criticized for imitating European styles and writing poetry that was too sentimental.
Frequently Asked Questions
Who is Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?
Longfellow was a nineteenth-century American poet and university educator based in New England, whose work made him the most widely read poet in the United States during his lifetime. His popularity also carried him to a large readership across Europe.
What is Longfellow's connection to Dante?
Longfellow holds the distinction of being the first American to render Dante Alighieri's entire Divine Comedy into English verse. That ambitious translation helped establish his reputation as a serious literary figure beyond his popular ballads.
What does it mean to be called a 'fireside poet'?
The label describes a circle of New England writers whose accessible, warmly domestic verse was intended for reading aloud in the family parlor. Longfellow is the most prominent example of this tradition, prized for his musical, approachable style.
When and where was Longfellow born, and when did he die?
He was born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine, and passed away on March 24, 1882. His seventy-five-year life spanned much of the nineteenth century, during which he held teaching posts at American universities.
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Sources
Compiled from Wikipedia and the sources listed below. Text from Wikipedia is available under CC BY-SA 4.0; this entry is adapted from it.
- Wikipedia: Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (CC BY-SA 4.0).
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