Walt Whitman: Selected Poems (American Poets Project) [Hardcover]

Walt Whitman (Author), Harold Bloom (Editor)

Book Description

Series: American Poets Project | Publication Date: January 27, 2003

Harold Bloom, author of The Western Canon and one of the world's most renowned literary critics, surveys Walt Whitman's vast poetic work, from early notebook fragments of Song of Myself to the late poems of Good-bye My Fancy.

Editorial Reviews

From Booklist

As for Whitman--collected and selected so often--what, or who, could possibly make another selection seem fresh? Who is definitely Harold Bloom, dean of American literary critics, who considers Whitman "the principal writer that America--North, Central, or South--has brought to us." Bloom's best single descriptive of Whitman is "immediate," to which any reader of "Song of Myself" will assent: Whitman is with his readers ("If you want me again look for me under your boot-soles"). Bloom is concerned with Whitman's construction of his all-encompassing persona, and he selects with that in mind: first, some fragments of what became "Song of Myself"; then the "Song" itself in its final form; then four great poems of, Bloom argues, persona-shaping crisis, as well as "Crossing Brooklyn Ferry"; and three sections of other, successively later poems. Bloom connects Whitman's project to the thesis of his The American Religion (1992) that the tendency of religion in America is to replace God with man, and with the fragments, Bloom presents explicit evidence of the attempt. Ray Olson
Copyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved

About the Author

Harold Bloom, editor, teaches at Yale and New York University and has written more than twenty major books, including The Anxiety of Influence (1975), The Western Canon (1994), and Genius: A Mosaic of One Hundred Exemplary Creative Minds (2002). He is a fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Letters.

Product Details

• Hardcover: 221 pages
• Publisher: Library of America (January 27, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1931082324
• ISBN-13: 978-1931082327
• Product Dimensions: 7.8 x 4.8 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 11 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.4 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (5 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #573,449 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Walt Whitman was born on May 31, 1819, near Huntington, Long Island, New York. On July 4, 1855, the first edition of Leaves of Grass, the volume of poems that for the next four decades would become his lifes work, was placed on sale. Although some critics treated the volume as a joke and others were outraged by its unprecedented mixture of mysticism and earthiness, the book attracted the attention of some of the finest literary intelligences. His poetry slowly achieved a wide readership in America and in England, where he was praised by Swinburne and Tennyson. (D. H. Lawrence later referred to Whitman as the"greatest modern poet, and"the greatest of Americans. Whitman suffered a stroke in 1873 and was forced to retire to Camden, New Jersey, where he would spend the last twenty years of his life. There he continued to write poetry, and in 1881 the seventh edition of Leaves of Grass was published to generally favorable reviews. However, the book was soon banned in Boston on the grounds that it was obscene literature. In January 1892 the final edition of Leaves of Grass appeared on sale, and Whitman's life work was complete. He died two months later on the evening of March 26, 1892, and was buried four days afterward at Harleigh Cemetery in Camden.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars WONDEFUL LITTLE COLLECTION, BUT......, September 6, 2010

By 

D. Blankenship (The Ozarks) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: Walt Whitman: Selected Poems (American Poets Project) (Hardcover)

To begin, I love this particular series - the American poets Project. The books, around 25 to 30 in number so far, cover a wide range of American poets; some well know, others not so well known. The books are extremely inexpensive but well made and make some wonderful poetry available to all.

This is a select collections of poems by Walt Whitman (I know, I state the obvious) and I must say that it is a nice introductory selection. The reader upon completion will be exposed to Whitman's wide range and come away with a good feeling and a nice start of further reading of this amazing poet.

The collected works here are great. I have no problems with the selections what so ever. Now one of the strengths of this series is that the publishers have chosen some of our leading critics, academics and poets to write an introduction to each book in the series. I have learned much from these introductions in just about all the offerings so far.

Alas, I must tell you that I was much less than satisfied with the particular introduction to the work being reviewed here. The publishers, for reasons known only to themselves, chose Harold Bloom. I fully admit that this is a case of personal preference on my part and that I respect professor Bloom's intellect, education and station in life fully. He is a bit of a genius and certainly one of the leading critics with us today. My problem lies in that I cannot stand his writing. To be more specific, I simply cannot understand a word the man puts to paper! He absolutely grates on my nerves.

I suffered through Bloom's "The Western Cannon," twice, as a matter of fact - thank you very much, and came out of the experience learning absolutely nothing. Bloom writes so far over my head that he might as well be writing in a foreign language I know nothing of. His obscure literary references go on and on to the point that I am not at all sure he himself knows what he is saying. Pretentious and arrogant and too quick to bash so many contemporary authors, Boom rather give be a headache. I made some notes on his introduction to this small collection, and conservatively figure I would have to read solidly for at least ten years before I became even vaguely familiar with the works and poets he references. Even then, I doubt seriously if I would understand enough of these works to make heads or tales of what Bloom writes.

Now this is a pity. As I said, I have no doubt that Bloom is a very well educated man and is certainly due respect. I hold those that understand his babblings in absolute awe, and I must admit, intellectually envy. The problem is, that as brilliant as Bloom may be, he is simply incapable of transferring his vast literary knowledge on to lesser people. These little books are nice collections; sort of introductions for the common reader. If the information provided by the author is incomprehensible, then it is useless information. I was able to understand and relate to about five percent of the information written here and it was wonderful information. Alas, the other 95 percent was wasted paper and would have been put to better use in recording more of Whitman's work. I suppose that for those that have graduated from Yale, Harvard or any of the other fine schools our country has to offer, and if they have advanced degrees in American and European Literature, then Bloom's pontifications may be of some use. Not so with me. I never had the opportunity nor the inclination to do so. That does not mean I do not love and, in my own little way, appreciate good poetry. But hey, that is just me.

Sorry Bloom; as a card carrying member of the unwashed, semi-literate masses, you leave me cold.

Other than that, I must give this work five stars...hey, its Whitman!

Don Blankenship
The Ozarks

5.0 out of 5 stars books for high school, January 18, 2012

By 

twinmom17 - See all my reviews

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This review is from: Selected Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

this book shipped in the promised condition and arrived on time. I order multiple books from the same seller. Very happy with service provided.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A fair representation of the representative American poet, April 25, 2005

By 

Shalom Freedman "Shalom Freedman" (Jerusalem,Israel) - See all my reviews
(TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: Selected Poems (Dover Thrift Editions) (Paperback)

This collection contains twenty- four pieces from the work of America's greatest poet. Whitman is the quintessential American poet the one who speaks for the heart of the nation, the great cataloguer of its vast varied landscape and life. Great poems such as "When Lilacs Last in the Dooryard Bloomed" and " I sing the body electric" provide the reader here with a true sense of Whitman's work.
Whitman with all his greatness can at times be plodding and tiring, and turn the open- road catalogue into a formula-like list. But mostly he is the celebrator of the American people in their great outward expansion through their own cosmic continent.
This work is represents fairly the one who even in his own time Emerson saw as the great representative American poet.