''Outre-Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea'' is a

prose Prose is a form of written or spoken language that follows the natural flow of speech, uses a language's ordinary grammatical structures, or follows the conventions of formal academic writing. It differs from most traditional poetry, where the ...

collection by American poet

Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (February 27, 1807 – March 24, 1882) was an American poet and educator. His original works include " Paul Revere's Ride", '' The Song of Hiawatha'', and ''Evangeline''. He was the first American to completely tran ...

. It was the first major work by Longfellow and it was inspired by his travels in Europe as a young man. The term "outre-mer" is French for "overseas".

Overview

In preparation for his employment as a professor of language at his alma mater Bowdoin College, Longfellow traveled to Europe. His stay there may have inspired ''Outre-Mer''. It is his first published literary work after previously publishing academic texts. After Longfellow received a professorship at

Harvard College Harvard College is the undergraduate college of Harvard University, an Ivy League research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Founded in 1636, Harvard College is the original school of Harvard University, the oldest institution of higher lea ...

, he rented a room in

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston ...

from Elizabeth Craigie, the widow of

Andrew Craigie Andrew Craigie (1754-1819) is best known for serving as the first Apothecary General of the Continental Army during the American Revolution. The one-time owner of the Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site, Craigie dev ...

, who had been the first

Apothecary General Apothecary General was a British and American military post held during the times of the American Revolution. The appointment of Apothecary General in the British (or English) Army dated from 1686; it lapsed in 1826, by which time it was little mo ...

of the United States, in the summer of 1837. Assuming the young-looking Longfellow was a student at neighboring Harvard, Mrs. Craigie refused to board him. Longfellow convinced her that he was a faculty member, and pointed out that he was the author of ''Outre-Mer'', which she had a copy of. The Craigie House is now the

Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site The Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site (also known as the Vassall-Craigie-Longfellow House and, until December 2010, Longfellow National Historic Site) is a historic site located at 105 Brattle Street in Cambridge ...

. When Longfellow first met his wife-to-be Fanny Appleton, she was traveling in Switzerland in 1836 with her family, including her father the industrialist Nathan Appleton. After meeting Longfellow, she wrote in her journal that she hoped he would not "pop in on us" though, she admitted "I did like his Outre-Mer".

Publication history and reception

Longfellow, who was experimenting with prose writings, published the first parts of ''Outre-Mer'' in pamphlet form in the 1830s.

Harper & Brothers Harper is an American publishing house, the flagship imprint of global publisher HarperCollins based in New York City. History J. & J. Harper (1817–1833) James Harper and his brother John, printers by training, started their book publishin ...

published the completed work in two volumes in 1835 without the author's name.Williams, Cecil B. ''Henry Wadsworth Longfellow''. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 109. Longfellow traveled to Europe shortly afterward, and while in London had an English edition printed, credited only by "An American". The book was not particularly successful. The indifferent reception, as well as his duties as a Harvard professor, prevented Longfellow from producing significant literary works until 1838, with his poem "

A Psalm of Life "A Psalm of Life" is a poem written by American writer Henry Wadsworth Longfellow, often subtitled "What the Heart of the Young Man Said to the Psalmist".Gale, 202 Longfellow wrote the poem not long after the death of his first wife and while th ...

" and his novel '' Hyperion''. However, Longfellow's former Bowdoin College classmate

Nathaniel Hawthorne Nathaniel Hawthorne (July 4, 1804 – May 19, 1864) was an American novelist and short story writer. His works often focus on history, morality, and religion. He was born in 1804 in Salem, Massachusetts, from a family long associated with that t ...

enjoyed the work so much that it inspired him to rekindle their acquaintanceship. Hawthorne also offered Longfellow a copy of his recently published ''

Twice-Told Tales ''Twice-Told Tales'' is a short story collection in two volumes by Nathaniel Hawthorne. The first volume was published in the spring of 1837 and the second in 1842. The stories had all been previously published in magazines and annuals, hence th ...

''.Mellow, James R. ''Hawthorne in His Times''. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980: 78–79. Longfellow would later work with publishers

Ticknor and Fields Ticknor and Fields was an American publishing company based in Boston, Massachusetts. Founded as a bookstore in 1832, the business would publish many 19th century American authors including Ralph Waldo Emerson, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry James, ...

in Boston, which reissued ''Outre-Mer'' and most of his other early writings in the 1850s.

References

External links

1893 edition of ''Outre-Mer''
at

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{{Authority control 1835 books Harper & Brothers books