Walt Whitman

Walt Whitman is the father of American free verse. With 'Leaves of Grass,' he shattered the formal constraints of his era, embracing a sprawling, inclusive, and celebratory style that mirrored the American experience. His work is a testament to the individual and the collective, blending the spiritual with the physical in a way that was revolutionary for its time. Whitman's influence on the development of modern poetry is absolute; he gave poets permission to write in their own voices, free from the shackles of traditional meter and rhyme.