Camden N J—U S America1
P M
July 14 '91
Matters essentially ab't same with me—hot wave last 40 hours—but am
getting along tolerably so far in it—good letters this mn'g f'm Bolton
friends—O'D[onovan]2 comes every day (what the
sculp'g will eventuate in the result will tell)—I eat blackberries—no Dr
L[ongaker]3 now for four days—miss y'r letters
here—so does H T[raubel]4—sit here by window as
usual—
Walt Whitman
Correspondent:
Richard Maurice Bucke (1837–1902) was a
Canadian physician and psychiatrist who grew close to Whitman after reading Leaves of Grass in 1867 (and later memorizing it) and
meeting the poet in Camden a decade later. Even before meeting Whitman, Bucke
claimed in 1872 that a reading of Leaves of Grass led him
to experience "cosmic consciousness" and an overwhelming sense of epiphany.
Bucke became the poet's first biographer with Walt
Whitman (Philadelphia: David McKay, 1883), and he later served as one
of his medical advisors and literary executors. For more on the relationship of
Bucke and Whitman, see Howard Nelson, "Bucke, Richard Maurice," Walt Whitman: An
Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New York:
Garland Publishing, 1998).
Notes
- 1. This letter is addressed:
Dr Bucke | care Mr Costelloe | 40 Grosvenor road | the Embankment | London
England. It is postmarked: Camden, N.J. | Jul 14 | 6 PM | 91; Philadelphia, Pa.
| Jul 14 | 9 PM | Paid. [back]
- 2. William Rudolph O'Donovan
(1844–1920) was an American sculptor. He was an associate of American
artist Thomas Eakins and accompanied Eakins to Whitman's Camden home and
fashioned a large bust of Whitman. Whitman liked O'Donovan but did not care for
the bust, which he found "too hunched" and the head "too broad" (Horace Traubel, With Walt Whitman in
Camden, Wednesday, July 15, 1891). [back]
- 3. Daniel Longaker
(1858–1949) was a Philadelphia physician who specialized in obstetrics. He
became Whitman's doctor in early 1891 and provided treatment during the poet's
final illness. Carol J. Singley reports that "Longaker enjoyed talking with
Whitman about human nature and reflects that Whitman responded as well to their
conversations as he did to medical remedies" ("Longaker, Dr. Daniel [1858–1949]," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R.LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings [New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998]). [back]
- 4. Horace L. Traubel (1858–1919)
was an American essayist, poet, and magazine publisher. He is best remembered as
the literary executor, biographer, and self-fashioned "spirit child" of Walt
Whitman. During the late 1880s and until Whitman's death in 1892, Traubel visited
the poet virtually every day and took thorough notes of their conversations,
which he later transcribed and published in three large volumes entitled With Walt Whitman in Camden (1906, 1908, & 1914).
After his death, Traubel left behind enough manuscripts for six more volumes of
the series, the final two of which were published in 1996. For more on Traubel,
see Ed Folsom, "Traubel, Horace L. [1858–1919]," Walt
Whitman: An Encyclopedia, ed. J.R. LeMaster and Donald D. Kummings (New
York: Garland Publishing, 1998). [back]