In Search of Walt Whitman

Discover Walt Whitman's remarkable life and the timeless poetry he created

This engaging film tells the story of Walt Whitman’s remarkable life (1819-1892), the turbulent era in which he lived, and the timeless poetry he created. Interweaving narration and dramatic readings with captivating period music, insights from scholars, and photography filmed in key locations, this documentary brings to life Whitman’s unique character and poems.

Part One: The Early Years (1819–1860)

Walt Whitman rises from a hardscrabble boyhood in Long Island and Brooklyn to write Leaves of Grass in 1855 that revolutionizes poetry. Many famous poems are profiled as the film explores the mystery of how a seemingly ordinary writer, with little education or training, could have created the literature-altering masterpiece.

Part Two: The Civil War and Beyond (1861–1892)

The poet moves to Washington to care for sick and injured Civil War soldiers but grows disillusioned with the Gilded Age after the war. He recovers from a debilitating stroke to live out his days in Camden NJ, where he continues to write poetry. This episode includes such renowned poems as “When Lilacs Last in the Doory’d Bloomed,” “O Captain! My Captain!” “The Wound-Dresser,” and “Goodbye My Fancy.”

Trailers

Part One: The Early Years (1819–1860)

Part Two: The Civil War and Beyond (1861–1892)