Martí and Darío

Walt Whitman, celebrated American poet that lived from 1819 to 1892, was a great influence to Latin American poets José Martí of Cuba and Rubén Darío of Nicaragua, born in 1853 and 1867, respectively. Whitman's renown spread the world, affecting people halfway across the globe during his own time, in part due to his attitude regarding life and freedom, but also because of his disregard to conventional poetry writing-standards, throwing caution to the wind and preferring free-verse over rigidity, all of which are found in both the works of Martí and Darío, as well.

While Whitman was not always received well upon first reading, even being thrown under the proverbial bus by peer poet Henry David Thoreau, he continued to write, focusing on the nation and its growing democracy and celebrating America's place in the realm of art and beauty. In his characteristic free-verse, he would examine all matters of life in America, regardless of reception.

José Martí also wrote extensively about his country, fighting for freedom both with a weapon and a pen. Where Whitman would write about the growing democracy in post-revolution America, Martí wrote about what freedom should be, fighting for human rights and the right to equality. Like Whitman, he eschewed the typical writing style of his peers, choosing instead to embrace modernism, very much like the free-verse that Whitman used. In his most famous piece, I Am an Honest Man, he writes about himself and his place in nature and society, very much like Whitman did in many of his pieces.

Rubén Darío's writing was said to have stood "...solidly outside of norms, forms, and schools" by Pablo Neruda and Garcia Lorca, two writers that came just a little after his time. Like Whitman and Martí, he became known as one of the greatest poets in his country, urging the Nicaraguan government to order national mourning for his death when he passed in 1916. As far as his writing style goes, he also went with his own preferred form instead of the norm, choosing instead to write freely in short, descriptive passages, very much like Martí. His poetry was simultaneously steeped in history and modernism, creating vivid imagery.

Though all three were from completely different parts of the world and very likely had no contact with one another, their styles are all very similar-- free of restrictions, full of powerful symbolism, and highly promotional of both self-appreciation and human rights. It's almost as though they worked side by side.

Puchner, Martin. “Walt Whitman.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition. Two-Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 646-647. Print.

Puchner, Martin. “José Martí.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition. Two-Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 680-681. Print.

Puchner, Martin. “Rubén Darío.” The Norton Anthology of World Literature: Shorter Third Edition. Two-Volume Set. W.W. Norton. Ed. M Puchner. 2013. 689-691. Print.