The small volume, first released in 1855, was considered controversial by some, but attracted praise from American Transcendentalist essayist, lecturer, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson which contributed to it stirring up significant interest in Whitman's work.
The small volume, first released in 1855, was considered controversial by some, with critics attacking Whitman's verse as "obscene". However, it attracted praise from American Transcendentalist essayist, lecturer, and poet Ralph Waldo Emerson that contributed to fostering significant interest in Whitman's work.