Walt Whitman

Born to a poor family on Long Island, Walt Whitman left school at 11 to work to help support his family by working at a printer. He tried several jobs, including both teaching and editing as well as other jobs in the print industry. By 1850 he had begun what became his life’s work, the poetry collection Leaves of Grass, which he would work on throughout his life. He self-published the first edition in 1855, and continued to publish revised editions throughout his life. The earthy nature of his poetry affected his reputation and made it hard for him to keep a job. He suffered a stroke in 1873, becoming an invalid for the rest of his life. He died in 1892 of complications and pleurisy.