The work of Henry Longfellow is known to any more or less educated person. His romantic poetry is a bright page in American literature and culture. We will tell you about the fate of the poet, what influenced his work and what books the writer needs to read to everyone.
Childhood and origin
The future poet Henry Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807 in Portland , Maine. His family came from Yorkshire. Henry's ancestors came to the United States in the 17th century and held strict Puritan views. In the small town of Portland, the Longfellow family was highly respected. The father of the future writer was a lawyer, a member of Congress and provided his family with good welfare.
Henry from childhood lived in abundance and could devote his time to his favorite pursuits. He was a very dreamy and impressionable child. When the boy heard the sailors speak Spanish, French, Italian in the port, he imagined distant lands and dreamed of travels and adventures. He read a lot, especially fascinated by Washington Irving. It is under the influence of this American romance that Longfellow begins to try his hand at poetry. Already at age 13, Henry published his first poems in a local city newspaper.
Education
Henry Longfellow, whose biography in the early years was associated with Portland, received his primary education in his hometown. After that, he entered Harvard University's Bowden College, where he studied with the future prominent American writer, romantic Nathaniel Hawthorne.
In 1825, Henry graduated from college and received an offer to take the post of professor of the department of new languages. In order to pass the qualification exam, Longfellow goes on a big European trip, which lasted three years. He traveled to Italy, France, Spain, England, where he deeply studied literature and languages. After that, he was ready to start teaching.
Science and teaching
In 1829, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, whose biography was forever connected with literature, began working at Bowden College. After 6 years, he was invited to become a professor at Harvard University. According to the already established tradition, Longfellow first goes to Europe, where he improves his skills during the year. He then sets to work at Harvard.
Over the years, Henry has developed several scientifically valuable courses in basic European literature, and he also publishes several translations of works of Spanish literature. Longfellow will work at the University until 1854, in parallel with teaching, he is engaged in literary work.
Vocation
Henry Longfellow experienced a craving for literature as a teenager. His first experiments were poetic, but later he tried himself in prose. In his youth, he wrote many poems, but these were only student experiences. In his student days, Henry often sent his poems to magazines and newspapers, and even published. In total, at that time he printed about 40 small poems. Longfellow outlined his impressions of his trip to Europe in prose, it was a kind of travel diary called “Pilgrimage overseas”. This work went out of print in 1835. But still, Longfellow was a born poet, so from the end of the 1830s he began to write only poetry.
Creation
The first fame came to the poet after the publication of the poem "Psalm of Life", a sample of naive lyrics. Since the end of the 30s, he systematically publishes collections of lyrics that have provided the author's sustained lifetime glory. Henry Longfellow, whose verses can be divided into three large groups, has gone from imitator and romance to a mature author with a vibrant civic stance.
Some of the poet’s works are translations and imitations of European authors. He translated Dante's Divine Comedy into English, and this is a real masterpiece. This group includes many Longfellow ballads on traditional European subjects.
The second group of works by Henry Longfellow is philosophical lyrics with a slight touch of didacticism. It includes, for example, the works “Migratory Birds”, “Voices of the Night”, “Iris” and others.
The third group of texts of the poet is his experiments on creating a national epic, these include the famous “Song of Hiawatha” and “Evangeline”. Standing apart are the works of Longfellow, dedicated to the propaganda of the idea of freedom and the deliverance of slaves from slavery. In the 40s, many US poets joined the movement of abolitionism, the movement for the abolition of slavery, but Henry showed himself in this subject much less than many of his colleagues.
Over the course of his literary career, Longfellow has released 15 poetry collections, as well as several separate poems and poems. He also has many translations and a beautiful anthology of European poetry.
The Song of Hiawatha
And yet, for posterity, Henry Longfellow's main achievement is “The Song of Hiawatha.” This poem was published in 1855, its poetic size is borrowed from the famous Karelian epos "Kalevala". The plot of the work is taken from the legends of the Native American Indians. The poet retells the cosmogonic myths of the natives, seeks to create a national American epic like the Scandinavian "Edda". The work is distinguished by an impeccable poetic form and grace of a syllable. Today, The Song of Hiawatha is a classic of US literature.
Personal life
The poet Henry Longfellow, whose biography is connected with literature, was successful in creativity, but not very happy in his personal life. The first time he married his classmate Fanny in 1831. The couple lived together for only 4 years. His wife passed away during their joint trip to Europe. From this marriage, 1 child remained. The second time Henry married in 1843. This marriage was happy, the couple had 5 children. But in 1861, his wife died tragically in a fire. This psychological trauma left Henry off balance for a long time. In recent years, the poet suffered from rheumatism, but continued to work. He died on March 24, 1882 in Cambridge.