Carl Sandburg

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Carl Sandburg Criticism

Carl Sandburg, a central figure in American literature, is renowned for his innovative use of free verse that captures the informal speech of the Midwest, most notably in his groundbreaking collection, Chicago Poems (1916). His work is characterized by vibrant imagery and a focus on the lives of ordinary people, exploring both urban and rural experiences with powerful realism and emotional depth. Despite early criticism for his straightforward style, prominent critics like Harriet Monroe and John T. Frederick have praised his efforts. His broader oeuvre, including the Pulitzer Prize-winning Abraham Lincoln: The War Years and The People, Yes, reflects a deep engagement with American history and social issues. Bruce Weirick even likens Sandburg to Walt Whitman, suggesting that he embodies the spirit of American populism.

Contents

  • Principal Works
  • Sandburg, Carl (Vol. 1)
  • Sandburg, Carl (Vol. 15)
    • Carl Sandburg's 'Complete Poems'
    • Sandburg's Chromatic Vision in 'Honey and Salt'
    • Carl Sandburg
    • 'Moonlight Dries No Mittens': Carl Sandburg Reconsidered
    • The Scholar-Poet
  • Sandburg, Carl (Vol. 10)
    • Gay Wilson Allen
    • David Perkins
    • Not to Forget Carl Sandburg
  • Sandburg, Carl (Vol. 4)
  • Sandburg, Carl
    • Review of Chicago Poems
    • Review of Chicago Poems
    • Review of Chicago Poems
    • Review of Chicago Poems
    • Edgar Lee Masters and Carl Sandburg
    • Carl Sandburg
    • A Poet of the Common-Place
    • Review of Chicago Poems, Cornhuskers, and Smoke and Steel
    • Ezra Pound on Sandburg
    • The Voice of Chicago: Edgar Lee Masters and Carl Sandburg
    • Carl Sandburg
    • The Rise of the Middle West
    • Carl Sandburg: Formalist
    • Sara Teasdale, Alan Seeger, and Others
    • Carl Sandburg
    • Who Reads Carl Sandburg?
    • Springfield, Spoon River and the Prairies
    • Carl Sandburg: Crusader and Mystic
    • The ‘New’ Poetry
    • Your Friend the Poet—Carl Sandburg
    • Introduction to Carl Sandburg: A Bibliography of Sandburg Materials in the Collections of the Library of Congress
    • Behold the Proverbs of a People: A Florilegium of Proverbs in Carl Sandburg's Poem ‘Good Morning, America.’
    • Carl Sandburg
    • Sandburg's Chromatic Vision in Honey and Salt
    • The People, Yes: Sandburg's Dreambook for Today
    • Carl Sandburg's Influence on Modern Poetry
    • The Clash of American Dreams in Carl Sandburg's Poetry
    • The Day Book Poems of Carl Sandburg
    • The Cycle of Life: Motifs in the Chicago Poems of Carl Sandburg
    • From the Bottom Up: Three Radicals of the Thirties
    • Taming the Socialist: Carl Sandburg's Chicago Poems and Its Critics
    • The People's Poet
    • Review of Chicago Poems
    • Carl Sandburg's Unnatural Relations
    • Sandburg's ‘They Will Say.’
  • Further Reading