 |
|||
Contact
|
Walter (Walt) Whitman was born May 31, 1819, the second of eight children in West Hills, Long Island. At the age of four, the family moved to Brooklyn due to the high demand in carpentry work. Walt left school by the time he was eleven and became an apprentice at a local newspaper. While working as a carpenter, printer, editor, journalist and publisher, he became aware of need for a literary voice to represent the common people. It was during this period of his life that he developed a free verse style of poetry and with the help of the Rome Brothers printers, Whitman self-published Leaves of Grass on July 4, 1855. With the publication of this revolutionary book, Whitman finally answered Ralph Waldo Emerson's 1843 essay calling "for an original national poet, one who would sing of the new country with a new voice..." To celebrate the sesquicentennial of this seminal volume, the Burritt Library along with several departments on campus have planned a series of events entitled “’Look Back On Me’: New England Celebrates the 150th Anniversary of Walt Whitman's 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass”. Several major events are planned for September 22nd and 23rd. Several distinguished poets and scholars will give lectures and participate as panelists. All events are free and open to the public. The Burritt Library will host "Images of Walt Whitman: The Commercialization of an American Original" from July 1st through September 30th. Drawn from the collection of Mr. Ed Centeno, this exhibition will consist of colorful and whimsical items depicting Walt Whitman’s name and image through commercial advertising material. Among the items in the exhibit are philatelic material, buttons, posters, pop art, advertisements, postcards, paintings, cartoons, photographs, bookseller’s catalogs, sheet music, matchbooks, periodicals and labels. The exhibit will also include the depiction of Whitman in children's literature as well as the use of the poet as a gay icon. A facsimile of the 1855 edition of Leaves of Grass will be displayed along with the 3rd edition published in 1860. | ||
|
site maintained by Debbie Herman last modified: August 23, 2005 |
library home | ccsu | contact us | help | search site | ||
