Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
An item at American Writers Museum
Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was America's first great literary internationalist. He traveled to Europe repeatedly, learning languages and collecting poems from other cultures. His own poetic style was virtuoso in technique, conventional in attitude, and sentimental in its storytelling.
These qualities made Longfellow beloved and world famous. For over a century, his poems were read aloud at family events and public gatherings. In the words of one of his characters, "As the blood of all nations is mingling with our own, so will their thoughts and feelings finally mingle in our
AMERICAN VOICES
An exhibit at American Writers Museum
American writing is distinctive, diverse, and comes in many forms from across the nation. The 100 authors featured here represent the evolution of American writing. Learn more about each writer on the timeline by turning the panels below their portraits. Explore centuries of writing by pulling, turning, and touching the interactive elements on the counter.
This is not meant to be a list of the greatest or most influential writers. Instead, we present authors and works as part of the American story as it grows and changes. Taken together, this rich literary heritage reflects America in all of its complexity: its energy, hope, conflict, disillusionment, and creativity.