The Correspondence, 1876-1885

Book excerpt: General Series Editors: Gay Wilson Allen and Sculley Bradley Originally published between 1961 and 1984, and now available in paperback for the first time, the critically acclaimed Collected Writings of Walt Whitman captures every facet of one of America's most important poets. In discussing letter-writing, Whitman made his own views clear. Simplicity and naturalness were his guidelines. “I like my letters to be personal—very personal—and then stop.” The six volumes in The Correspondence comprise nearly 3,000 letters written over a half century, revealing Whitman the person as no other documents can. Volume III covers the years in which Whitman radiated a personal and artistic magnetism, despite the paralysis that struck him in 1873. This period was full of important events, including the attempted censoring of Leaves of Grass, Whitman's renewed friendship with William D. O'Connor, and the arrival in America of Whitman's unrequited lover, Anne Gilchrist. During this period, Whitman also met Harry Stafford, the eighteen-year-old son of a New Jersey farming family. Despite his international fame, Whitman preferred to spend much of his time with the Staffords, particularly Harry, with whom he had a close but uncertain bond.