HENRY WADSWORTH LONGFELLOW

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow was  an American educator and poet whose work included "Paul Revere's Ride," "The Song of Hiawatha," and "Evangeline."  He was also the first American to translate Dante Alighieri's "The Divine Comedy" and was one of the five Fireside Poets.

He was born February 27, 1807 in Portland, Maine which was then a part of Massachusetts.  He studied at Bowdoin College and after spending time in Europe, he became a professor at Bowdoin.  Later, he taught at Harvard College.  His first major poetry collection were "Voices of the Night (1839)" and "Ballads and Other Poems (1841)."  Longfellow retired from teaching in 1854 to focus on his writing, living the remainder of his life in Cambridge, Massachusetts, in a former headquarters of George Washington.  His first wife, Mary Potter, died in 1835 after a miscarriage.  His second wife, Frances Appleton, died in 1861 after sustaining burns from her dress catching fire.  After her death, Longfellow had difficulty writing poetry for a time and focused on his translation.  He died March 24, 1882.

Longfellow predominantly wrote lyric poems which are known for their musicality and which often presented stories of mythology and legend.  He became the most popular American poet of his day and also had success overseas.  He has been criticized, however, for imitating European styles and writing specifically for the masses.