Carl Sandburg and Carl Sandburg and American Poetry: American Poetry:

1900-19401900-1940

Edited by Nina Lee BradenEdited by Nina Lee Braden

Social Background: 1900-1940

•Two important factors making period unique:

the First World War

the sense dislocation and fragmentation

•Additional factor:

loss of faith

American Poetry: 1900-1940Experimenting with new forms and

content

New age = new literary expression

Great poetry boom 1912-1922

•About 1000 poets, over 1000 volumes

General Aim = to express the modern spirit, the sense of fragmentation and dislocation

ExpatriatesExpatriates Many early modernists Many early modernists

= expatriates= expatriates Influenced by Dante; Influenced by Dante;

French Symbolists French Symbolists Affected by European Affected by European

postwar disillusionment postwar disillusionment and loss of faithand loss of faith

Pervading sense of the Pervading sense of the meaningless destructionmeaningless destruction

Rottenness of Rottenness of civilizationcivilization

The Major WritersThe Major Writers

Robert Frost (1874-1963)Robert Frost (1874-1963) Carl Sandburg (1878Carl Sandburg (1878 －－ 1967)1967) Gertrude Stein (1874-1946)Gertrude Stein (1874-1946) T. S. Eliot (1888-1965)T. S. Eliot (1888-1965) Ezra Pound (1885-1972)Ezra Pound (1885-1972) William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)William Carlos Williams (1883-1963)

Carl SandburgCarl Sandburg(1878-1967)(1878-1967)

American poet, American poet, historian, novelist historian, novelist and and folkloristfolklorist ，， folk folk musicianmusician ，， politicpolitical organizer, al organizer, reporter reporter

the singing bard the singing bard a central figure in a central figure in

the “Chicago the “Chicago Renaissance” Renaissance”

Early LifeEarly Life Born in Galesburg, IL Born in Galesburg, IL Parents poor Swedish Parents poor Swedish

immigrants immigrants Father, August, a Father, August, a

blacksmith and blacksmith and railroad workerrailroad worker

Name originally Name originally Johnson Johnson

Mother Clara Mother Clara Anderson, a hotel Anderson, a hotel maidmaid

BoyhoodBoyhood Quit school after eighth Quit school after eighth

gradegrade Spent a decade Spent a decade

working:working:– delivered milk delivered milk – harvested ice harvested ice – laid bricks laid bricks – threshed wheatthreshed wheat– shined shoes shined shoes – traveled as a hobotraveled as a hobo

Early AdulthoodEarly Adulthood

When the Spanish-American War broke out When the Spanish-American War broke out in 1898, Sandburg volunteered for service, in 1898, Sandburg volunteered for service, and at the age of twenty was ordered to and at the age of twenty was ordered to Puerto Rico, where he spent days battling Puerto Rico, where he spent days battling only heat and mosquitoes. only heat and mosquitoes.

Upon his return to his hometown later that Upon his return to his hometown later that year, he entered Lombard College, year, he entered Lombard College, supporting himself as a call fireman. supporting himself as a call fireman.

EducationEducation College years College years

shaped literary shaped literary talents and political talents and political viewsviews

Joined Poor Writers' Joined Poor Writers' ClubClub

Founder Professor Founder Professor Phillip Green Wright Phillip Green Wright paid for publication paid for publication of Sandburg’s of Sandburg’s pamphlet pamphlet Reckless Reckless Ecstasy Ecstasy (1904)(1904)

Experiences working and traveling influenced writing and political views

Saw first-hand the sharp contrast between rich and poor– a dichotomy that

instilled in him a distrust of capitalism

Influence of Early WorkInfluence of Early Work

Politics and MarriagePolitics and Marriage Increasingly concerned Increasingly concerned

with the plight of the with the plight of the American worker American worker

In 1907 worked as an In 1907 worked as an organizer for the organizer for the Wisconsin Social Wisconsin Social Democratic party, Democratic party, writing and distributing writing and distributing political pamphlets and political pamphlets and literature literature

Met Lilian Steichen, Met Lilian Steichen, whom he married in whom he married in 19081908

•Moved to Milwaukee

•Published Chicago Poems (1916), Cornhuskers (1918)

•Smoke and Steel (1920), an attempt to find beauty in modern industrialism

Becoming a PoetBecoming a Poet

Sandburgs Sandburgs moved to moved to Chicago; Carl an Chicago; Carl an editorial writer editorial writer for the Chicago for the Chicago Daily NewsDaily News. .

Sandburg felt a Sandburg felt a strong affinity for strong affinity for the big brash the big brash city.city.

ChicagoChicago

Sandburg was virtually unknown to the literary world when, in 1914, a group of his poems appeared in the nationally circulated Poetry magazine.

Two years later his book Chicago Poems was published, and the thirty-eight-year-old author found himself on the brink of a career that would bring him international acclaim.

BreakthroughBreakthrough

Mature WorkMature Work

In the twenties, he started some of his most In the twenties, he started some of his most ambitious projects, including his study of ambitious projects, including his study of Abraham Lincoln. Abraham Lincoln.

His His Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie YearsAbraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years, , published in 1926, was Sandburg's first published in 1926, was Sandburg's first financial success. financial success.

The War YearsThe War Years, for which he won the Pulitzer , for which he won the Pulitzer Prize in 1940. Prize in 1940.

Sandburg's Sandburg's Complete PoemsComplete Poems won him a won him a second Pulitzer Prize in 1951. second Pulitzer Prize in 1951.

From 1945 he lived as a farmer and From 1945 he lived as a farmer and writer, breeding goats and folk-singing, in writer, breeding goats and folk-singing, in Flat Rock, North Carolina. Flat Rock, North Carolina.

EvaluationEvaluation

One of the best known and most widely read poets in the United States during the 1920s and 1930s. His subject matter is the people themselves.

Like Walt Whitman, Sandburg exclaimed: “I am the People, the Mob!”

His poetic tone is always affirmative, and he is free from rhyme and regular meter.

In Whitmanesque free In Whitmanesque free verse, he sings about verse, he sings about factories and the factories and the building of skyscrapers.building of skyscrapers.

Sandburg’s form is the Sandburg’s form is the free verse with its lines free verse with its lines of irregular length, its of irregular length, its looser speech rhythms, looser speech rhythms, and the absence of end and the absence of end rhyme.rhyme.

Never MonotonousNever Monotonous

Won Pulitzer prizes Won Pulitzer prizes in history and in history and poetry poetry

Always trying new Always trying new forms of writing and forms of writing and taking on new taking on new challenges challenges

"I had studied "I had studied monotony. I decided monotony. I decided whatever I died of, whatever I died of, it would not be it would not be monotony." monotony."

The PoetryThe Poetry Poems are often full of slang Poems are often full of slang

and the language of ordinary and the language of ordinary Americans. Americans.

Wrote poems about Wrote poems about Chicago--the "stormy, husky, Chicago--the "stormy, husky, brawling" life of the city and brawling" life of the city and the lonely peace of the the lonely peace of the prairie. prairie.

Wrote about real people with Wrote about real people with real problems; wrote by his real problems; wrote by his own rules. own rules.

Comparison to WhitmanComparison to Whitman To many, Sandburg was a latter-day Walt To many, Sandburg was a latter-day Walt

Whitman, writing expansive, evocative Whitman, writing expansive, evocative urban and patriotic poems and simple, urban and patriotic poems and simple, childlike rhymes and ballads. childlike rhymes and ballads.

At heart he was totally unassuming, At heart he was totally unassuming, notwithstanding his national fame. What he notwithstanding his national fame. What he wanted from life, he once said, was "to be wanted from life, he once said, was "to be out of jail...to eat regular...to get what I out of jail...to eat regular...to get what I write printed,...a little love at home and a write printed,...a little love at home and a little nice affection hither and yon over the little nice affection hither and yon over the American landscape,...(and) to sing every American landscape,...(and) to sing every day." day."

Role in Modern PoetryRole in Modern Poetry

Played a significant Played a significant role in the role in the development in development in poetry that took place poetry that took place during the first two during the first two decades of the 20th decades of the 20th century century

A breaker of A breaker of conventions and an conventions and an innovator of American innovator of American poetrypoetry

““Fog”Fog”

Among the few exceptions that mark Among the few exceptions that mark Sandburg's break from free verse poetry. A Sandburg's break from free verse poetry. A mere six lines long, written in verse-form, an mere six lines long, written in verse-form, an innocent expression of finding beauty in an innocent expression of finding beauty in an ordinary world. ordinary world.

Delightful poem, using simple imagery. Delightful poem, using simple imagery. Deceptively simple:Deceptively simple:

– like a haiku poem like a haiku poem – more than description of misty air more than description of misty air – Fog leaves the natural, becomes surreal and Fog leaves the natural, becomes surreal and

ethereal, always anchored to familiar realityethereal, always anchored to familiar reality

FogFog

The fog comesThe fog comeson little cat feet.on little cat feet.

It sits looking It sits looking over harbor and cityover harbor and cityon silent hauncheson silent haunchesand then moves on.and then moves on.

He was established as the poet of the He was established as the poet of the American people, pleading their cause; American people, pleading their cause; reciting their songs, stories, and proverbs; reciting their songs, stories, and proverbs; celebrating their spirit and their vernacular; celebrating their spirit and their vernacular; and commemorating the watershed and commemorating the watershed experiences of their shared national life.experiences of their shared national life.

Poet, Singer, HistorianPoet, Singer, Historian

Sandburg’s WorkSandburg’s Work Volumes of Poetry

– In Reckless Ecstasy (1904) – Chicago Poems (1916) – Cornhuskers (1918)– Smoke and Steel (1920)– Slabs of the Sunburnt West (1922)– Selected Poems (1926)– Good Morning, America (1928)– The People, Yes (1936) – Complete Poems (1950) – Harvest Poems (1950) – Honey and Salt (1963)

Sandburg’s WorkSandburg’s Work

Biographies and Other– Abraham Lincoln: The Prairie Years (1926)

– The American Songbag (1927)

– Steichen the Photographer (1929)

– Mary Lincoln: Wife and Widow (1932)

– Abraham Lincoln: The War Years (1939)

– The New American Songbag (1950)

– Always the Young Strangers(1953)

Six-volume biography on Abraham Lincoln

Believed that previous biographies had idealized Lincoln too much

Collected his favorite songs in The American Songbag

Numerous novels and poems

Collected letters published in 1968

Final NotesFinal Notes

Works CitedWorks Cited

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/sandburg/http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/sandburg/journalism.htmjournalism.htm

http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=29http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=29

http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/sandburg/http://www.english.uiuc.edu/maps/poets/s_z/sandburg/journalism.htmjournalism.htm

http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=29http://www.poets.org/poets/poets.cfm?prmID=29