''Chicago Poems'' is a 1916 collection of poetry by
Carl Sandburg, his first by a mainstream publisher.
Inspiration, publication, and reception
Sandburg moved to
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
in 1912 after living in Milwaukee, where he had served as secretary to
Emil Seidel
Emil Seidel (December 13, 1864 – June 24, 1947) was an American woodworker, patternmaker and politician. Seidel was the mayor of Milwaukee from 1910 to 1912. The first Socialist mayor of a major city in the United States, Seidel became the vice ...
, Milwaukee's Socialist mayor.
Harriet Monroe, a fellow resident of Chicago, had recently founded the magazine ''
Poetry
Poetry (from the Greek language, Greek word ''poiesis'', "making") is a form of literature, literary art that uses aesthetics, aesthetic and often rhythmic qualities of language to evoke meaning (linguistics), meanings in addition to, or in ...
'' at around this time. Monroe liked and encouraged Sandburg's plain-speaking free verse style, strongly reminiscent of
Walt Whitman
Walter Whitman Jr. (; May 31, 1819 – March 26, 1892) was an American poet, essayist, and journalist; he also wrote two novels. He is considered one of the most influential poets in American literature and world literature. Whitman incor ...
.
Sandburg sent his manuscript to
Alfred Harcourt
Alfred Harcourt (; January 31, 1881 – June 20, 1954) was an American publisher and compiler who co-founded Harcourt Trade Publishers, Harcourt, Brace & Howe in 1919.
Biography
Harcourt was the son of Gertrude M. Elting and Charles M. Harcourt. ...
, then a junior-ranking editor at
Henry Holt. Facing opposition from above, Harcourt removed and censored—with Sandburg's co-operation—the harsher poems. For example, the direct criticism of "
Billy Sunday
William Ashley Sunday (November 19, 1862 – November 6, 1935) was an American evangelist and professional baseball outfielder. He played for eight seasons in the National League before becoming the most influential American preacher during t ...
" by name, previously published in ''
The Masses'' and ''
International Socialist Review'', was replaced with the more tepid and anonymous "To a Contemporary Bunkshooter".
''Chicago Poems'' established Sandburg as a major figure in contemporary literature.
''Chicago Poems'', and its follow-up volumes of verse, ''Cornhuskers'' (1918) and ''Smoke and Steel'' (1920) represent Sandburg's attempts to found an American version of social realism, writing expansive verse in praise of American agriculture and industry.
Poems included
* "
Chicago
Chicago is the List of municipalities in Illinois, most populous city in the U.S. state of Illinois and in the Midwestern United States. With a population of 2,746,388, as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census, it is the List of Unite ...
"
* "
Fog"
* "Happiness"
Further reading
*
*
*
References
External links
*
''Chicago Poems'' at Bartleby*
{{Authority control
1916 poetry books
American poetry collections
Works set in Chicago
Poetry by Carl Sandburg
Henry Holt and Company books