Leaves of Grass

It is often the lot of the creative individual to not be appreciated during their lifetime. While alive, Walt Whitman endured countless campaigns to ban his book of poems, 'Leaves of Grass', on the basis of its obscene sexual imagery. A century later, his poem 'O Captain! My Captain!' featured in the movie 'Dead Poets Society'. Then, the US TV series 'Breaking Bad' included numerous Walt Whitman references in different episodes.

Some argue that he was ahead of his time. It is certainly the case that he was a one-off.

'Leaves of Grass', which was first published as a handful of poems and grew to more than 400, is a loosely-connected collection. It focuses on the body and the material world and celebrates the natural world. The poems do not rhyme and do not follow any accepted rules. But they capture people's imagination - and have a place among the greatest works of US poetry.

Walt Whitman (1819-1892) was an American poet, essayist and journalist. He was a humanist and is often called the father of free verse - a sobriquet inspired by the unstructured nature of much of his poetry. His poetry collection 'Leaves of Grass' was controversial, with critics decrying its overt sensuality. At different times a teacher, a journalist and a government clerk. Whitman worked in hospitals caring for the wounded during the American Civil War.