A visit to Walt Whitman (in 1886)
An interview from the Eagle's archives, in which Whitman reflects on his time living in Brooklyn.
Today (May 31, 2019) marks the 200th anniversary of the birth of American poet Walt Whitman. The former editor of the Brooklyn Daily Eagle (1846-1848) is best remembered for his poetry collection “Leaves of Grass” (1855), which he continued to rewrite until shortly before his death in 1892.
Whitman spent his last years in Camden, N.J., where the following interview took place. The interview was published in the Eagle on July 11, 1886. The only indication of the identity of the interviewer are the initials at the end: F.B.S.
July 11, 1886