author
Fitz-Greene Halleck
1790–1867
A sharp, lively voice in early American poetry, he was admired in his own time for mixing satire, elegance, and feeling. His best-known work, including the long poem Fanny, helped make him one of the most recognizable literary figures of the early 1800s.
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 the early nineteenth century. He moved to New York City as a young man and worked in business, including for John Jacob Astor, while building a literary reputation at the same time.
Halleck was part of the Knickerbocker Group, a circle of New York writers, and was especially noted for witty satirical verse as well as more serious poems. Readers of his day knew him for pieces such as Fanny and "Marco Bozzaris," and his writing shows the influence of English Romantic poets, especially Byron.
Although his fame faded after his lifetime, Halleck was widely celebrated in his era and remains an important figure in the story of early American literature. He died in Guilford in 1867, remembered as a poet who brought urban polish, humor, and sentiment to American verse.