“re-examine all you have been told in school or church or in any book, and dismiss whatever insults your own soul; and your very flesh shall be a great poem, and have the richest fluency, not only in its words, but in the silent lines of its lips and face, and between the lashes of your eyes, and in every motion and joint of your body.[From the preface to Leaves Grass]”

American poet, essayist, and journalist, 19th century

Walt Whitman was an American poet, essayist, and journalist. He lived in the 19th century and is widely regarded as one of the most influential figures in American and world poetry. He wrote two novels as well as poetry and prose, and his work blends transcendentalism with realism. He is often called the father of free verse. Much of the attention around him came from the controversy over Leaves of Grass, first published in 1855, which some readers condemned as obscene for its open sensuality.