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Ralph Waldo Emerson, Bio and WorksAmerican Essayist, Poet, and Transcendentalist
Biography and works of Ralph Waldo Emerson, one of America's greatest poets and essayists, 19th century leader of transcendentalism.
R. W. Emerson was an important 19th-century American poet and essayist, a transcendentalist, and an orator. His ideas had a strong influence on the development of American culture. He is famous for Nature, his first book. Henry David Thoreau became his follower and friend. Early Life of Ralph Waldo EmersonRalph Waldo Emerson was born on May 25, 1803, the son of a minister, raised in Boston, Massachusetts. Like his father, he attended Harvard and then entered the ministry. He was appointed pastor of the Second Unitarian church in Boston, but three years later, at the age of 29, he had a crisis of faith and left the church. A year later, he went to Europe, visited England, and became a close friend of the writer Thomas Carlyle, with whom he corresponded for almost 38 years. Works PublishedWhen he went back to the United States, Emerson settled in Concord, Massachusetts, and began a successful career as a lecturer and essayist. His first book Nature, a prose rhapsody, published when he was 33, summed up his ideas. This was followed by "The American Scholar," an oration delivered at Harvard. Emerson's address in 1838 before the Divinity Class in Cambridge made a sensation, especially among the Unitarians. Philosophy of TranscendentalismEmerson formulated the philosophy of transcendentalism or in simple terms, an idealist who advocated self-reliance, spiritual independence, and who rejected traditional authority. He is famous for the often-quoted: "Make the most of yourself, for that is all there is of you." Emerson believed that people should rely on their reason to learn what is right and should try to live a simple life in harmony with nature and with others. More Lectures, Poems and EssaysHe became famous for his lectures. He encouraged American scholars to break free of European influences and create a new American culture. His first collection of essays, in which he explored his ideas more fully, was published when he was 38. They were widely read, and further collections followed. At the age of 44, he published his first collection of poetry. Later he became involved in the anti-slavery movement and worked for women's rights. In 1849, he revisited England to lecture on Representative Men. He died at the age of 78, on April 27, 1882. Works by Ralph Waldo Emerson
Sources:Chambers Biographical Dictionary (New Edition), edited by Una McGovern, 2002 Larousse Dictionary of Writers, edited by Rosemary Goring, 1994
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