American poet Walt Whitman made a close relationship with English writer Anne Gilchrist. Here are collection of their correspondence in this book. After reading Walt Whitman's Leaves of Grass for the first time Anne Gilchrist instantly written a letter to the author to convey her delight in his poems and to thank him for their publication. From Whitman's reply was emerge an writing relationship between the two writers, the substance of which is contained within this interesting collection. This book is a decent view of a life well-lived (Anne's) and while most of it is basically a fan girl letter to Whitman, even calling him godlike at one point. As to the particular set of letters presented, most of these letters are from Anne Gilchrist to Walt Whitman, a few are replies to her letters, and a few are letters from her children to Whitman. Their correspondence was began through William Michael Rossetti, English writer and critic who edited Whitman's works and this correspondence was initiated with Gilchrist's letter to Whitman in the form of a critical essay she wrote in his defence called 'A Women's Estimate of Walt Whitman'.
Walt Whitman was an American poet, born on 31 May 1819 in West Hills on Long Island. His parents were Walter Whitman and Louisa Van Velsor. His father owned a large farmland which was sold out earlier his birth, so his childhood was in sufferings. At the 11 years of age, he left formal schooling. He did several jobs, as a printer, journalist, teacher and a government clerk. In his poems he expressed over freedom, individuality, sensuality, divinity and nature. Leaves of Grass was Whitman's most well-known work, first published in 1855 by Whitman himself, initially it was composition of 12 poems. His few significant poems were-'Song of Myself' and 'I Sing the Body Electric' O Captain! My Captain!. He focused on humanism, rationalism and democratic thoughts. He emphasized on gains as well loss also. Due to his incredible writing he is popularly called as 'father of free verse' and 'bard of democracy'. He was died on 26 March 1892. His notable works-Franklin Evans, The Half Breed, Life and Adventures of Jack Engle, Drum- Taps, Leaves of Grass, etc.
