“Leaves of Grass (1855 edition) by Walt Whitman

It seems to me that everything in the light and air ought to be happy; Whoever is not in his coffin and dark grave, let him know he has enough.

I‘m not one to read lots of poetry but after hearing about this book in many contexts, mentioned in books & movies, I thought I’d check it out. It was not at all what I was expecting. His poetry is long, joyful, and free from conventions of rhyme. Some of the poems were really great, and some seemed to go on too long.

This is the Dover Thrift Original 1855 edition. It’s only 128 pages. I’ve seen some editions of Leaves of Grass are over 600 pages. So, I’m not sure if Whitman added way more poems to his book over the years, or there is just lots more commentary in it. I shall have to read the Original / Deathbed Edition now to check it out.

EDIT: After further investigation, it seems Whitman added more poems. For example, his famous poem about the assassination of Abraham Lincoln, ““O Captain! My Captain””, wasn’t written until 1865. Now I’m secure in my conviction that I need to read the Deathbed Edition.

Rating: ★★★★★ Book #66 in my #ReadingChallenge2021 #poetry #WaltWhitman #joyful”,