Cape Cod Book Reviews

American Genius: An impressive study of the impressive life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

American Genius: An impressive study of the impressive life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

American Genius by Libby Hughes and Marian R. Carlson is the biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow.  Probably best known as a poet and educator, Longfellow is what the authors refer to as a "multi-culturalist" and a "citizen of the world".  He was born on February 27 in 1807 in Portland, ME and lived what would be considered a privileged life of family, travel and education.

From a young age, Longfellow was interested in writing poetry--an interest and talent he would hone his entire life. In fact, his first poem was published at the tender age of 13, only a year before he would attend Bowdoin, Maine's first college.  After graduating from Bowdoin he traveled extensively in Europe immersing himself in foreign languages for the professorship he accepted his alma mater.

While teaching at Bowdoin, Longfellow continued to write and married his beloved Mary Storer Potter in 1831. Tragically, Mary died only four years later while the couple was in Europe.  Her untimely death sent the poet into a tailspin of depression.

Through his sadness, he continued to write poetry and eventually accepted a prestige teaching position at Harvard.  His position meant a move to Cambridge and a courtship and marriage in 1841 to the second love of his life, a woman from a prominent Cambridge family by the name of Fanny Appleton. 

The couple had five children and a wonderful life together until Fanny passed away in 1861.  In 1854 the popularity of his writing brought wealth and renown to Longfellow and he was able to resign from Harvard and concentrate solely on his writing.

During his life, Longfellow wrote many beautiful, dramatic works such as The Wreck of the Hesperus about an actual shipwreck off Gloucester and probably one of his best known, Paul Revere's Ride:

Listen my children, and you shall hear
Of the midnight ride of Paul Revere

His poem were often whimsical, such as The Children's Hour, and at times romantic, as in the Courtship of Miles Standish which told the love story of John and Priscilla Alden--ancestors on his mother's side.

However, the themes of some of Longfellow's works still ring true today.  In his time, pre-Civil War, the country was besot with social and political hot button issues and as a multi-culturist, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was passionate about those very topics including slavery and the rights of Native Americans.

His strong opposition to slavery is evident in The Witnesses and the Slave Singing at Midnight as is his compassion for the Native American in his epic poem The Song of Hiawatha. Longfellow's stance on these and other social issues makes one wonder what he would choose to write about today.   From The Witnesses:

These are the bones of Slaves;
They gleam from the abyss;
They cry, from yawning waves,
"We are the Witnesses!"

American Genius is a biography intended for young adult readers.  Hughes and Carlson offer a well-rounded, in depth study of one of America's greatest poets.  Although intended for younger readers, Genius is also a great refresher for adults.  The book is of particular importance this year, as 2007 marks the Bicentennial of Longfellow's birth. 

This Thanksgiving, why not pick up a copy of American Genius and learn about the man who wrote the Song of Hiawatha?

American Genius is available through Amazon and select bookstores. 

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About the authors:

Libby Hughes is an author, editor, lyricist and award-winning playwright. Several of her plays have been produced off Broadway.  Hughes has penned several other books for young adults including biographies of Nelson Mandela, Margaret Thatcher and Tiger Woods among others.  For CapeCodToday, Hughes reviews plays and serves at the "Boston Bureau" writer.  She divides her time between Cambridge and Cape Cod.  Visit her site here to purchase American Genius and other books and plays.

Marian R. Carlson is a writer, educator and founder of the Young Writer's Club. She published over 100 articles as a syndicated columnist for an international newspaper. As a literature and writing teacher, over 50 of her students have been published in national children's magazines. Recently, Carlson has participated in a two year national grant to write educational programs on Longfellow for the Maine Historical Society.  Carlson divides her time between Cambridge and Cape Cod.  Visit her site here or here for more information on Longfellow.