Longfellow - by Charles C Calhoun (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

In the first biography of Longfellow in almost fifty years, Charles C. Calhoun seeks to solve a mystery: Why has one of America's most famous writers fallen into oblivion? His answer to this question takes us through a life story that reads like a Victorian family saga and reveals the man who introduced Americans to the literatures of other countries while creating a gallery of American icons - among them Paul Revere, John and Priscilla Alden, Miles Standish, the Village Blacksmith, Hiawatha, and Evangeline.

Review Quotes

"A sprightly, long-needed biography of 19th-century America's most famous, myth-making poet . . . An enormously sympathetic portrait of a universally admired gentleman [that] could well encourage a new generation to read Longfellow."--Kirkus Reviews, starred review

"Masterful . . . warm and vivid . . . and solid in placing [Longfellow] in the context of [his] times."--Michael Kenney, Boston Sunday Globe

"Calhoun's biography is commendable. . . His defense of Longfellow's poetry is all the more forceful for never being overstated."--Frank Wilson, Philadelphia Inquirer

"[A] sympathetic and welcome biography. . . Calhoun has written a fine book."--Patrick J. Walsh, Christian Science Monitor

"[A] readable, informative biography. . . Longfellow became for his day an international icon of literature and civility."--Tony Lewis, Providence Sunday Journal

About the Author

Born in Louisiana, Charles C. Calhoun studied history at the University of Virginia and law at Christ Church, Oxford. He divides his time between Boston and Portland, Maine, where he is on the staff of the Maine Humanities Council.