upon his poems, first collected in The Vigil of Faith (1842). Literary critic Rufus Wilmot Griswold that year dedicated twice as much space to Hoffman than any other author in his respected anthology The Poets and Poetry of America. Griswold helped Hoffman publish The Echo, another collection of poetry, in 1844. Hoffman was also popular for his songs, including "Sparkling and Bright" and "Rosalie Clare." Hoffman remained a successful editor and author throughout the 1840s. He officially began a new role as editor of The Literary World magazine on May 1, 1847. The weekly journal, which also included Evert Augustus Duyckinck and George Long Duyckinck, ceased publication in 1853. Insanity Under the strain of work, he went insane in 1849, supposedly after a servant used his manuscripts to start a fire. He was hospitalized briefly in April 1849 and, after his release, he accepted a position with the Department of State in Washington, D.C. By autumn, however, he was declared permanently insane. He spent the last 30 years of his life in the Harrisburg State Hospital, a state asylum in Pennsylvania. It was in Harrisburg that he was diagnosed with chronic mania, or manic-depressive psychosis. Hoffman died in Harrisburg on June 7, 1884. He was buried at Christ Church Burial Ground following funeral services at the home of his sister-in-law in Philadelphia. Selected list of works A Winter in the West (1835) The New-York Book of Poetry (1837) Vanderlyn; or, The Fortunes of an Adventurer (unfinished, 1837) Wild Scenes in the Forest and Prairie (1839) Greyslaer: A Romance of the Mohawk (1840) The Vigil of Faith (poetry collection, 1842) The Echo (poetry collection, 1844) Love's Calendar, Lays of the Hudson, and Other Poems (1847) The Pioneers of New-York (1848) References Notes Sources External links Hoffman genealogy, at the William L. Clements Library of the University of Michigan Finding aid to the Charles Fenno Hoffman letters at Columbia University. Rare Book & Manuscript Library. 1806 births 1884 deaths 19th-century American novelists 19th-century American poets American male poets American magazine editors American male novelists Charles Fenno Writers from New York City Songwriters from New York (state) 19th-century American journalists American male journalists 19th-century American musicians 19th-century American male writers Novelists from New York (state) Columbia College (New York) alumni 19th-century American lawyers American amputees