In Search of Walt Whitman (2020)

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In Search of Walt Whitman is a two-part documentary film which premiered in 2020.

 

The title explains the topic: this film is about the life and work of the famous American poet Walt Whitman (1819-1892). 

 

Here is some basic information about it:

 

** Writer and director: Andrew D. Kaplan

** Historical consultant: Alfred Robert Hogan

** The voice of Walt Whitman: Richard S. Rose

** Part 1 = 1 hour 27 minutes

** Part 2 = 1 hour 29 minutes

 

Four historical and literary experts are interviewed in this film. Here are the names of the participants. Listed in alphabetical order:

 

** Ed Folsom - Professor of English, University of Iowa

** Garrett Peck – Author, historian and tour guide, Washington, DC

** Kenneth M. Rice – Professor of American Literature, University of Nebraska-Lincoln

** Rosemary Winslow – Retired Associate Professor of English Literature, The Catholic University of America, Washington, DC

 

This film covers the life and work of the famous American poet in great detail, from the beginning in 1819 to the end in 1892.

 

The first part covers the early years (1819-1860), while the second part covers the civil war and the years beyond (1861-1892)

 

How many poems did Walt Whitman write?

 

According to the Whitlam Archive, he published 160 poems in 48 periodicals (newspapers and magazines) from 1838 until his death in 1892.

 

A collection of his poems titled Leaves of Grass was published in several editions.

 

The first edition published in 1855 has 12 poems. Over time, the number of poems in the collection increased with each new edition.

 

The final edition published shortly before his death in 1892 has 389 poems.

 

What about his personal life? Was he married? Did he have any children? The answer to these questions is no: he was not married. He did not have any children.

 

Apparently, the famous poet was a gay man. His partner in life was Peter Doyle (1843-1907). Many people knew this. But he could not make a public announcement about this fact because of the times in which he lived. American society was not ready to accept a gay couple at that time.

 

Some indications about the fact that he loved men and not women are mentioned in his poems.

 

When these indications were discovered, some people wanted him to delete the passages which were regarded as offensive. He refused to do that.

 

Some people wanted to ban his collection Leaves of Grass because of this. But the attempt to ban the book backfired. It only made it more interesting! Sales increased after an attempt to ban the book and his poems became more famous than they were before!

 

What do reviewers say about this film?

 

On IMDb part one has a rating of 76 percent, while part two has a rating of 84 percent.

 

In my opinion, these ratings are very appropriate. I think this product deserves a rating of four stars (80 percent).

 

REFERENCES

 

Walt Whitman: A Life

By Justin Kaplan

(1980)

 

Walt Whitman’s America:

A Cultural History

By David S. Reynolds

(1995)

 

Walt Whitman: A Gay Life

By Gary Schmidgall

(1997 = hardcover)

(1998 = paperback)

 

*****

Walt Whitman (1819-1892)

and his partner in life 

Peter Doyle (1843-1907) 

 

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Leaves of Grass

by Walt Whitman

The final edition 1891-1892 

 

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