Who was Henry Wadsworth Longfellow?

• Born in Maine in 1807
• The second child of eight
• Enjoyed writing and planned many writing projects with his friend William Browne
• Published his first poem at age 13
• Attended Bowdoin College along with Nathaniel Hawthorne
• Learned seven different languages and taught French, Spanish, and Italian at Bowdoin
• First book (travelogue) was Outre Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea (1835)
• Married Mary Potter, who died of a complicated miscarriage
• Suffered from depression
• Fell in love with Fanny Appleton (but Fanny didn’t reciprocate for seven long years)
• Started teaching at Harvard University in 1836
• Became popular worldwide as a poet and writer
• Resigned from Harvard in 1857, a self-sustaining author
• In 1861 Henry sustained burns trying to rescue Fanny from a house fire; Fanny died on their 18th wedding anniversary
• In 1863 Henry’s son, Charles, ran off and joined the civil war against his father’s wishes
• Has been described as a traveller, a linguist, and a romantic

The Story behind I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day

• Henry’s son, Charles, was a soldier in the Union Army
• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow penned the words in December 1863 as he sat at the bedside of his son Charles, who was injured in the war
• Original Title: Christmas Bells
• You can find the full text of the poem on Hymns and Carols of Christmas
• Watch the video below to hear more of the story and a stirring rendition of I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day.

Historical Context of the Song

• Written in the middle of the American Civil War (1861-1865)
• Over 600,000 soldiers lost their lives in this war due to either battle or disease
• Harriet Tubman freed slaves
• “Missa Solemnis,” by Franz Schubert was performed in Leipzig
• “Les Pêcheurs de Perles,” by George Bizet premiered in France

Looking for more details?

• http://www.hwlongfellow.org
• The Christmas Carol Soldier tells about Henry’s son, Charles (the inspiration for the poem)
• http://www.historyorb.com/events/date/1863
• http://www.sonofthesouth.net/leefoundation/civil-war/1863/october/mobile-bread-riots.htm

My Gift for today

Enter your comment below for a chance to win a copy of a dramatized version of Oliver Twist (written in 1838 by Charles Dickens).