Walt Whitman鈥檚 1848 stint in New Orleans was a crucial moment of development for the poet. Working for The Daily Crescent, a new local newspaper, Whitman spent his days strolling through the multiracial city and turning his impressions into prose sketches, news items, and fiery editorials. While in the southern metropolis, the young journalist brushed shoulders with American soldiers returning from Mexico, cheered on European revolutions in the French Quarter, and explored raunchy theatre performances at the St. Charles Theater. Yet 1848 was also the year Whitman began lobbying for 鈥淔ree Soil,鈥 after encountering in New Orleans, Creole citizens, enslaved Black people, and the slaveholder who would become America鈥檚 next president.
Far from some brief escape, New Orleans was a significant milestone in Whitman鈥檚 development as a political firebrand, as well as a major step for a professional journalist on the rise. Through a wealth of new texts, contexts, and personalities, Stefan Sch枚berlein and Zachary Turpin paint a vivid picture of a writer on the verge of Leaves of Grass, embracing the contradictions and the multitudes of New Orleans.
鈥淲hitman鈥檚 tenure at the Crescent has long been the subject of speculation. While many scholars have suspected the consequence of Whitman鈥檚 time in New Orleans, Whitman鈥檚 Southern Sojourn reveals the substance of this period through exciting discoveries and compelling claims. It will be the authority on Whitman鈥檚 southern sojourn for years to come.鈥濃擩ason Stacy, author, Walt Whitman鈥檚 Multitudes: Labor Reform and Persona in Whitman鈥檚 Journalism and the First Leaves of Grass, 1840鈥1855
鈥淲hitman鈥檚 few months in 1848 New Orleans have long been seen as both a crucial鈥攁nd fairly mysterious鈥攅pisode in his development. I can鈥檛 count the number of times I鈥檝e heard someone say how much we need a book on the subject. At long last, that book is now here. Sch枚berlein and Turpin have given us an invaluable study.鈥濃擳. R. Johnson, author, New Orleans: A Writer鈥檚 City
