Emily Dickinson

Profession: Poet

Nationality:

Biography: Emily Dickinson was an influential American poet known for her innovative and enigmatic style. Born in Massachusetts in 1830, she lived a mostly introverted and reclusive life. Although she wrote prolifically, only a few of her poems were published anonymously during her lifetime.

Educated first at Amherst Academy and later at Mount Holyoke Female Seminary, Dickinson returned to her family home where she was deeply entrenched in a close-knit family circle. Her father's involvement in education and politics provided an intellectual backdrop that influenced her work.

It was only after her death, however, that Dickinson's literary genius was truly discovered. Her younger sister, Lavinia, found nearly 1,800 of her poems, leading to their posthumous publication.

The initial publication in 1890, edited by family acquaintances Thomas Wentworth Higginson and Mabel Loomis Todd, presented a version of her work that had been substantially altered to fit the poetic conventions of the time. It was not until the 1955 release of "The Poems of Emily Dickinson" by scholar Thomas H. Johnson that her poems were presented in their original form, giving readers a genuine taste of her unconventional craft.

Correspondence played a pivotal role in Dickinson's life, connecting her with key figures like her sister-in-law Susan Huntington Gilbert Dickinson, Thomas Wentworth Higginson, and newspaper editor Samuel Bowles. Her letters, particularly those to Susan, have sparked scholarly debate due to possible romantic undertones and evidence of censorship in their published forms.

Born: December 10, 1830
Birthplace: Amherst, Massachusetts, USA
Star Sign: Sagittarius

Died: May 15, 1886 (aged 55)
Cause of Death: Nephritis