author
Philip Morin Freneau
1752–1832
Best known as the “Poet of the American Revolution,” this early American writer turned political conflict, sea voyages, and sharp public debate into vivid verse and prose. His work helped give the new nation one of its first strong literary voices.
3 Audiobooks
The Poems of Philip Freneau, Poet of the American Revolution. Volume 1 (of 3)
by Philip Morin Freneau
The Poems of Philip Freneau, Poet of the American Revolution. Volume 3 (of 3)
by Philip Morin Freneau
The Poems of Philip Freneau, Poet of the American Revolution. Volume 2 (of 3)
by Philip Morin Freneau
About the author
Born in New York City in 1752 and raised in New Jersey, Philip Morin Freneau studied at the College of New Jersey, now Princeton University, graduating in 1771. While still young, he showed a gift for writing that mixed literary ambition with a strong interest in public life.
Freneau lived an unusually varied life. He worked as a teacher, sailed as a mariner and sea captain, and wrote poetry, essays, and journalism. During and after the American Revolution, he became known for energetic political writing and for poems that responded directly to the upheavals of his era, which is why he is often remembered as the “Poet of the American Revolution.”
Alongside his political verse and newspaper work, he also wrote about nature, imagination, and the darker, dreamlike side of experience. That range has helped later readers see him as one of the earliest important voices in American poetry. He died in New Jersey in 1832.