author
Fitz-Greene Halleck
1790–1867
A sharp, witty early American poet, he became famous for lively satire as well as more graceful romantic verse. His work helped make New York an important literary center in the first half of the 19th century.
1 Audiobook
Fanny, with Other Poems
by Fitz-Greene Halleck
About the author
Born in Guilford, Connecticut, in 1790, Fitz-Greene Halleck became one of the best-known American poets of his day. He moved to New York as a young man, worked in business and banking, and wrote poetry alongside his professional life rather than as a full-time career.
He is especially remembered as a leading figure in the Knickerbocker group, a circle of New York writers who helped shape an early national literature. Readers admired both his satirical pieces and his more serious poems, and his friendship and collaboration with Joseph Rodman Drake added to his literary reputation.
Later in life, he returned to Guilford, where he died in 1867. Though his fame faded after the 19th century, he remains an important voice in early American poetry and a vivid example of the moment when New York was emerging as a literary capital.