Edwin Markham (1852-1940)

One of the most popular poets of his day, Edwin Markham (1852-1940) has been largely forgotten in the history of American letters. Born in the Oregon Territory, Markham spent the first decades of his life as a teacher while trying to establish a literary reputation. He gained national prominence in 1899 with his poem "The Man with a Hoe," which combined his mystical spiritualism with the reform movements of the day, gathering much praise and criticism about his social stance. Despite the popularity of "The Man with the Hoe," most of Markham's poems use traditional Romantic subject matter, which he combined with his mysticism, as in "The Daring One." He published four books in his lifetime and remained active in the American literary community. Unfortunately, with the rise of Modernism, Markham's conservative poetry lost much of its literary standing, though he does represent a stage in the history of American literature.

POEMS
Lincoln, Man of the People
The Daring One
The Man with the Hoe