Vachel Lindsay
From Illinois Authors
Contents |
General Information
Pen Name: (Nicholas) Vachel Lindsay
Genre: Poetry
Born: November 10, 1879 in Springfield, Illinois
Died: December 5, 1931
Celebrated on the Illinois State Library, Gwendolyn Brooks Building
"A bronzed, lank man! His suit of ancient black, A famous high-top hat and plain worn shawl Make him the quaint great figure that men love, The prairie-lawyer, master of us all." -Vachel Lindsay, Abraham Lincoln Walks at Midnight (1914)
Illinois Connection
Vachel Lindsay was born and raised in Springfield. He moved back to Springfield in 1929 and is buried there in Oakridge Cemetary.
Biographical and Professional Information
Vachel Lindsay used his hometown of Springfield, Illinois as a base from which he launched a one-man campaign to reform American poetry and culture. His most original works were such poems as "General William Booth Enters into Heaven" and "Bryan, Bryan, Bryan, Bryan," which were strongly rhythmic chants about American heroes couched in colorful American colloquial speech. Such poetry was meant to express Lindsay's "Gospel of Beauty," an idealistic program to awaken Americans to art and learning.
The Vachel Lindsay House is located at 603 South Fifth Street in Springfield, Illinois. It is the site of Lindsay's birth and death. The site is open to the public Tues-Sat: 12-4:00pm. Lindsay's grave is in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Springfield, Illinois.
Published Works
- General William Booth Enters Heaven and Other Poems, 1913
- The Congo and Other Poems, Macmillan, 1914
- The Daniel Jazz and Other Poems, 1920
- Johnny Appleseed and Other Poems, Macmillan, 1928
- Every Soul Is a Circus, Macmillan, 1929
- Selected Poems of Vachel Lindsay, Macmillan, 1963
- Springfield Town Is Butterfly Town, and Other Poems for Children, Kent State, 1969
Titles for Purchase and at Your Library
Selected Poems of Vachel LindsayISBN: 002548270X Release Date: 1963-08 |
Literary Awards
In 1990, his name was engraved on the frieze of the Illinois State Library alongside other great Illinois literary figures.
Awarded Illinois Author of the Year by the Illinois Association of Teachers of English in 1970.
External Links
Editing
This page can only be edited by Illinois Center for the Book staff, this author or this author's representatives. Please contact us for access.
