Henry Longfellow (1807-1882) He is considered by many to be the best-known poet of the 19th century.   His works were required reading in school curricula throughout the United States and did much to establish the idea of contemporary poetry. Some of his best-known works: "A Psalm of Life," "Hymn to the Night," and "The Light of the Stars" from a collection of poetry Voices in the Night in 1839.   He followed that with works that became widely popular, including "The Village Blacksmith," "The Wreck of the Hesperus," and "Excelsior".   From Tales of a Wayside Inn came a national favorite: "Paul Revere's Ride". He also wrote lengthy narrative poems such as "Evangeline" in 1847, "The Song of Hiawatha" in 1855, and "The Courtship of Miles Standish" in 1858. Seeking spiritual solace after the death of his second wife in 1861, he penned a series of six sonnets "Divina Commedia," having translated The Divine Comedy of Dante Alighieri in 1867. Longfellow was born in Portland, Maine.   He graduated from Bowdoin College in 1825, studied languages in Europe from 1826-1829, was a professor and librarian at Bowdoin College from 1829-1835.   He then went back to Europe for further study and, having returned to the States, was appointed Smith Professor of French and Spanish at Harvard from 1836-1854. [Hiawatha's Childhood] [Home]    [What's New] [Short Stories]    [Philosophy]    [Forums] [Webrings]    [Biographies]    [Site Index]    [Contact] [Extras]    [Links]    [Copyright] <top>