Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow tell us about the American poet and educator.  He was born on 27th February 1807 and died on 24th March 1882. The notable works of Longfellow are Evangeline, The Song of Hiawatha and “Paul Revere’s Ride”. The famous work of Dante with the title Divine Comedy was first translated into English by Longfellow. The birthplace of Longfellow was located in Portland, Maine.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 1: education

Before he was a professor at Bowdoin and Harvard College, Longfellow had spent his time in Europe.  He had studied at Bowdoin College before.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 2: poetry collections

In 1839, the notable poetry collection of Longfellow was published under the title Voices of the Night. Another famous work was published in 1841 with the title Ballads and Other Poems.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 3: retirement

In 1854, he decided to retire from the teaching post to focus on writing. In the latter parts of his life, he resided in Cambridge, Massachusetts.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 4: personal life

In 1835, Mary Potter passed away because of a miscarriage. She was the first wife of Longfellow. In 1861, his second wife passed away. Her name was Frances Appleton.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 5: after the death of his wives

It was difficult for Longfellow to write poetry after the death of his wives. Therefore, he used most of his time on translation.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 6: the poems

The stories of legend and mythology are often found in most of his lyric poems. This American poet was very successful during his day. He was also known overseas.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 7: criticism

Even though his works were popular and successful, criticism still occurred.  Some believed that Longfellow wrote for the masses and imitated European writing style.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 8: parents

His parents were Stephen Longfellow and Zilpah. His father worked as a lawyer.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 9: Divine Comedy

He provided the English translation of Dante Alighieri’s Divine Comedy by working for several years. In 1864, he had a weekly meeting with friends to discuss his translation.

Facts about Henry Wadsworth Longfellow 10: the Dante Club

It was unofficially called the Dante Club. The guests who had come include Charles Eliot Norton, James Russell Lowell and William Dean Howells.

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