Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Biography

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, Poet
Occup.Poet
FromUSA
SpousesMary Storer Potter (1831-1835)
Frances Elizabeth Appleton (1843-1861)
BornFebruary 27, 1807
Portland, District of Maine, Massachusetts, USA
DiedMarch 24, 1882
Cambridge, Massachusetts, USA
Aged75 years
Early Life and Education:
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was born on February 27, 1807, in Portland, Maine, to parents Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah Wadsworth Longfellow. The second of seven children, Longfellow grew up in the growing maritime city, which at the time belonged to Massachusetts. His father was an effective lawyer and his mom was a descendant of John Alden, a Mayflower pilgrim.

Longfellow's early education took place at a number of independent schools in Portland, consisting of Portland Academy and Gorham Academy. He revealed a penchant for literature at a young age, releasing his very first poem at the age of 13 in the Portland Gazette. In 1822, at the age of 15, Longfellow got in Bowdoin College in Brunswick, Maine, where he studied under identified professors such as Thomas Cogswell Upham and William Jenks.

At Bowdoin, Longfellow also became buddies with Nathaniel Hawthorne, a future American author and short story writer. Upon finishing in 1825, Longfellow got an offer to teach at Bowdoin while pursuing additional studies to get ready for the position. He accepted the offer and subsequently traveled to Europe for 3 years to study contemporary languages and literature at universities in France, Spain, Italy, and Germany.

Academic and Literary Career:
In 1829, Longfellow went back to the United States and assumed his mentor position at Bowdoin, where he taught contemporary languages and released his very first book, a translation of a Spanish work. In 1831, Longfellow married Mary Storer Potter, a youth buddy. Tragically, she died from issues after a miscarriage in 1835 while the couple was taking a trip in the Netherlands.

Longfellow left Bowdoin College in 1835 and used up a professorship at Harvard University, once again teaching contemporary languages. He took a trip to Europe once more to much better prepare for his brand-new function, concentrating on Scandinavian and Slavic languages and cultures. In 1837, Longfellow released a collection of his poems entitled "Voices of the Night", which marked the beginning of his literary profession.

After going back to the United States, Longfellow began dating Frances Appleton, the daughter of a rich Boston merchant. The couple married in 1843, and Longfellow dedicated numerous poems to her, including the popular "The Old Clock on the Stairs". Longfellow's years with Frances were amongst his most productive, and during this time he published works like "Evangeline", "The Song of Hiawatha", and "The Courtship of Miles Standish", which sealed his status as a preeminent American poet.

Longfellow was likewise a translator, notoriously bringing Dante Alighieri's "Divine Comedy" to English-speaking readers in 1867. He retired from his professorship at Harvard in 1854 to focus on his writing, and his works continued to be well-received by the public. His poem "Paul Revere's Ride", published in Atlantic Monthly in 1861, added to his popularity and stays one of his most well-known works.

Later Life and Death:
Tragedy struck again in Longfellow's life when his wife, Frances, passed away in a fire in 1861. Longfellow was badly hurt while trying to save her and was entrusted scars that avoided him from shaving, prompting him to grow the beard that would become his trademark. Deeply affected by Frances' death, Longfellow never ever totally recovered, but he continued to write until his later years.

Longfellow's literary success continued throughout his life, and he frequently corresponded with and went to other prominent literary figures, such as Charles Dickens, James Russell Lowell, and Ralph Waldo Emerson. In 1874, Queen Victoria invited Longfellow to dinner at Windsor Castle, an unusual honor for an American not in public workplace.

On March 24, 1882, Longfellow passed away at his house in Cambridge, Massachusetts, at the age of 75. He was buried beside his two other halves in Mount Auburn Cemetery. Longfellow's works have remained popular and continue to have a profound influence on American literature. His influence assisted shape the advancement of American poetry, and he remains a cherished figure in both literary and popular culture.

Our collection contains 68 quotes who is written / told by Henry, under the main topic Education.

Related authors: Charles Dickens (Novelist), Ralph Waldo Emerson (Philosopher), Henry W. Longfellow (Poet), Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. (Poet), Nathaniel Parker Willis (Author), Franklin Pierce (President), Hiawatha (Statesman), James Russell Lowell (Poet), Queen Victoria (Royalty), Nathaniel Hawthorne (Novelist)

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Famous Works:
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68 Famous quotes by Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

Small: Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves
"Not in the clamor of the crowded street, not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat"
Small: It is difficult to know at what moment love begins it is less difficult to know that it has begun
"It is difficult to know at what moment love begins; it is less difficult to know that it has begun"
Small: In this world a man must either be anvil or hammer
"In this world a man must either be anvil or hammer"
Small: Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions sl
"Heights by great men reached and kept were not obtained by sudden flight but, while their companions slept, they were toiling upward in the night"
Small: Music is the universal language of mankind
"Music is the universal language of mankind"
Small: I have an affection for a great city. I feel safe in the neighborhood of man, and enjoy the sweet secur
"I have an affection for a great city. I feel safe in the neighborhood of man, and enjoy the sweet security of the streets"
Small: Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footp
"Lives of great men all remind us, we can make our lives sublime, and, departing, leave behind us, footprints on the sands of time"
Small: The counterfeit and counterpart of Nature is reproduced in art
"The counterfeit and counterpart of Nature is reproduced in art"
Small: There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of love, the first fluttering
"There is nothing holier in this life of ours than the first consciousness of love, the first fluttering of its silken wings"
Small: Joy, temperance, and repose, slam the door on the doctors nose
"Joy, temperance, and repose, slam the door on the doctor's nose"
Small: Give what you have to somebody, it may be better than you think
"Give what you have to somebody, it may be better than you think"
Small: For his heart was in his work, and the heart giveth grace unto every art
"For his heart was in his work, and the heart giveth grace unto every art"
Small: For age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress, And as the evening twilight
"For age is opportunity no less Than youth itself, though in another dress, And as the evening twilight fades away The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day"
Small: Fame comes only when deserved, and then is as inevitable as destiny, for it is destiny
"Fame comes only when deserved, and then is as inevitable as destiny, for it is destiny"
Small: Evil is only good perverted
"Evil is only good perverted"
Small: Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not and often times we call a man cold when he i
"Every man has his secret sorrows which the world knows not; and often times we call a man cold when he is only sad"
Small: Each morning sees some task begun, each evening sees it close Something attempted, something done, has
"Each morning sees some task begun, each evening sees it close; Something attempted, something done, has earned a night's repose"
Small: Critics are sentinels in the grand army of letters, stationed at the corners of newspapers and reviews,
"Critics are sentinels in the grand army of letters, stationed at the corners of newspapers and reviews, to challenge every new author"
Small: Build today, then strong and sure, With a firm and ample base And ascending and secure. Shall tomorrow
"Build today, then strong and sure, With a firm and ample base; And ascending and secure. Shall tomorrow find its place"
Small: As to the pure mind all things are pure, so to the poetic mind all things are poetical
"As to the pure mind all things are pure, so to the poetic mind all things are poetical"
Small: Ambition is so powerful a passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never satisfie
"Ambition is so powerful a passion in the human breast, that however high we reach we are never satisfied"
Small: All things must change to something new, to something strange
"All things must change to something new, to something strange"
Small: All things come round to him who will but wait
"All things come round to him who will but wait"
Small: A torn jacket is soon mended but hard words bruise the heart of a child
"A torn jacket is soon mended; but hard words bruise the heart of a child"
Small: A thought often makes us hotter than a fire
"A thought often makes us hotter than a fire"
Small: A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books
"A single conversation across the table with a wise man is better than ten years mere study of books"
Small: Youth comes but once in a lifetime
"Youth comes but once in a lifetime"
Small: There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into
"There are moments in life, when the heart is so full of emotion That if by chance it be shaken, or into its depths like a pebble Drops some careless word, it overflows, and its secret, Spilt on the ground like water, can never be gathered together"
Small: The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do w
"The talent of success is nothing more than doing what you can do well, and doing well whatever you do without thought of fame. If it comes at all it will come because it is deserved, not because it is sought after"
Small: The strength of criticism lies in the weakness of the thing criticized
"The strength of criticism lies in the weakness of the thing criticized"
Small: The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day
"The sky is filled with stars, invisible by day"
Small: The rapture of pursuing is the prize the vanquished gain
"The rapture of pursuing is the prize the vanquished gain"
Small: The nearer the dawn the darker the night
"The nearer the dawn the darker the night"
Small: The mind of the scholar, if he would leave it large and liberal, should come in contact with other mind
"The mind of the scholar, if he would leave it large and liberal, should come in contact with other minds"
Small: The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books
"The love of learning, the sequestered nooks, And all the sweet serenity of books"
Small: The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in w
"The life of a man consists not in seeing visions and in dreaming dreams, but in active charity and in willing service"
Small: The human voice is the organ of the soul
"The human voice is the organ of the soul"
Small: Simplicity in character, in manners, in style in all things the supreme excellence is simplicity
"Simplicity in character, in manners, in style; in all things the supreme excellence is simplicity"
Small: Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice
"Ships that pass in the night, and speak each other in passing, only a signal shown, and a distant voice in the darkness; So on the ocean of life, we pass and speak one another, only a look and a voice, then darkness again and a silence"
Small: Resolve and thou art free
"Resolve and thou art free"
Small: Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate,
"Perseverance is a great element of success. If you only knock long enough and loud enough at the gate, you are sure to wake up somebody"
Small: People demand freedom only when they have no power
"People demand freedom only when they have no power"
Small: Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat
"Not in the shouts and plaudits of the throng, but in ourselves, are triumph and defeat"
Small: Like a French poem is life being only perfect in structure when with the masculine rhymes mingled the f
"Like a French poem is life; being only perfect in structure when with the masculine rhymes mingled the feminine are"
Small: The Helicon of too many poets is not a hill crowned with sunshine and visited by the Muses and the Grac
"The Helicon of too many poets is not a hill crowned with sunshine and visited by the Muses and the Graces, but an old, mouldering house, full of gloom and haunted by ghosts"
Small: The greatest firmness is the greatest mercy
"The greatest firmness is the greatest mercy"
Small: Something attempted, something done, Has earned a nights repose
"Something attempted, something done, Has earned a nights repose"
Small: Therefore trust to thy heart, and to what the world calls illusions
"Therefore trust to thy heart, and to what the world calls illusions"
Small: The best thing one can do when its raining is to let it rain
"The best thing one can do when it's raining is to let it rain"
Small: Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind
"Sit in reverie and watch the changing color of the waves that break upon the idle seashore of the mind"
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