A singular voice in American literature, Emily Dickinson transformed the quiet confines of her Amherst home into a universe of radical introspection and lyrical brilliance. Born in 1830, Dickinson began as a bright and socially engaged student, but by her mid-twenties, she withdrew into the solitude that would come to define both her life and her legacy. Writing in near isolation—unrecognized and largely unpublished during her lifetime—she produced an astonishing 1,775 poems, most of which were discovered only after her death at age fifty-five.
What makes Dickinson’s work endure is not simply its brevity or its technical quirks—dashes, slant rhymes, and syntactical leaps—but its daring spiritual and emotional reach. In a few compressed lines, she probes the mysteries of existence with a force that rivals much longer works. Whether contemplating the sting of death, the ache of love, or the stillness of nature, her poems ignite the intellect and stir the soul.
More than a 19th-century oddity, Dickinson is now recognized as one of the most original and influential poets in the English language. Her fearless experimentation anticipated modernist techniques by decades, and her inner vision continues to speak to readers across generations.
This Barnes & Noble edition features an insightful introduction and detailed notes by Rachel Wetzsteon, illuminating the subtle intricacies of a poet once overlooked—and now impossible to ignore.
About the Author
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet who, despite the fact that less than a dozen of her nearly eighteen hundred poems were published during her lifetime, is widely considered one of the most original and influential poets of the 19th century.
Rachel Wetzsteon is Assistant Professor of English at William Paterson University. She has published two books of poems, The Other Starsand Home and Away.
