Cross of Snow: A Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

by Nicholas A. Basbanes

A major literary biography of America's best-loved nineteenth-century poet, the first in more than fifty years, and a much-needed reassessment for the twenty-first century of a writer whose stature and celebrity were unparalleled in his time, whose work helped to explain America's new world not only to Americans but to Europe and beyond. From the author of On Paper ("Buoyant"--The New Yorker; "Essential"--Publishers Weekly), Patience and Fortitude ("A wonderful hymn"--Simon Winchester), and A Gentle Madness ("A jewel"--David McCullough).

In Cross of Snow, the result of more than twelve years of research, including access to never-before-examined letters, diaries, journals, notes, Nicholas Basbanes reveals the life, the times, the work--the soul--of the man who shaped the literature of a new nation with his countless poems, sonnets, stories, essays, translations, and whose renown was so wide-reaching that his deep friendships included Charles Dickens, Nathaniel Hawthorne, Ralph Waldo Emerson, Julia Ward Howe, and Oscar Wilde.

Basbanes writes of the shaping of Longfellow's character, his huge body of work that included translations of numerous foreign works, among them, the first rendering into a complete edition by an American of Dante's Divine Comedy. We see Longfellow's two marriages, both happy and contented, each cut short by tragedy. His first to Mary Storer Potter that ended in the aftermath of a miscarriage, leaving Longfellow devastated. His second marriage to the brilliant Boston socialite--Fanny Appleton, after a three-year pursuit by Longfellow (his "fiery crucible," he called it), and his emergence as a literary force and a man of letters.

A portrait of a bold artist, experimenter of poetic form and an innovative translator--the human being that he was, the times in which he lived, the people whose lives he touched, his monumental work and its place in his America and ours.

Genres: Biography, Poetry, Nonfiction, History, Books About Books, American History, Biography Memoir

480 pages, Hardcover

First published June 2, 2020

About the author

Nicholas A. Basbanes is an award-winning investigative journalist and was literary editor of the Worcester Sunday Telegram. His articles have appeared in The New York Times, the Los Angeles Times, The Washington Post, and Smithsonian, and he is a recipient of a National Endowment for the Humanities Fellowship. Basbanes lives in North Grafton, Massachusetts.

Reviews

[Annie · Rating 4 out of 5]

I waffled a bit about whether to give this a 3 or 4-star review. Ultimately, I decided on the 4, because it was hard to put down, even though bits of it were frustrating. I love a biography that has a strong sense of place, and Longfellow's Craigie house was definitely a central player in his story. And I loved that the author gave a shout-out to Prof. Silver in the afterward, whose rare books class at IU was so great (and we read Basbanes' book A Gentle Madness for that class!) However. I think coming off from recently reading Morris' biography of Roosevelt and Larson's newest about Churchill have all but ruined me for other biographies. Maybe it's because Longfellow was a typical New England patrician type who was not compelling on his own? I think I would have enjoyed a bio about his 2nd wife, Fanny, more. I think also, the book couldn't really find it's thread to carry the story throughout. The timeline jumped around a bit within chapters, and the title, while a lovely picture, didn't really give form to a theme. It didn't really focus on his intellectual process, or his losses, or how he may have exemplified a person from his time. The best parts were how he interacted with Fanny, so it was quite a shock when later she wasn't around to provide that foil. I felt that it mostly was a chronicle of all the neat tidbits Basbanes discovered in his prodigious research instead of a biography with a point. But again, maybe Longfellow was just too vanilla to warrant anything more interesting or pointed.

[Gayla Bassham · Rating 5 out of 5]

To a high school or college student encountering his work for the first time, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow may feel like just another DWM (dead white male) in the literary canon. He's that American Victorian poet, no not Emerson, not Whitman, the other one. (Emily Dickinson is much easier to keep track of.) It's hard to remember why he was so popular, why reading him is a good idea, why he deserves a spot in the canon instead of an unsung woman or person of color.

Nicholas Basbanes does an admirable job in this biography of bringing Longfellow to life--explaining his influence on American literature, contextualizing his work, and, crucially, devoting a huge chunk of the book to Longfellow's second wife Fanny Appleton, a fascinating woman with a sharp intellect who was a partner to Longfellow in every way. When I finished this book, I had a new appreciation of Longfellow's poetry--which I don't think I've read since high school--and also found myself wondering what Fanny might have achieved in a world more amenable to female accomplishment. This is how you write about a DWM in the canon, I think -- you acknowledge the importance and influence of his work -- but you also acknowledge the debt he owes to the people around him, and the social forces that allowed him to rise while preventing others from doing so.

[Jeanne · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is one of the most beautiful books I’ve read. The love story between Henry and his second wife, Fanny, inspired me to read this book, and I was not disappointed. I gained great appreciation for the most internationally famous American literary figure of his day and beyond.

I won’t share what the title means. It’s revealed at the end of the book.

Some quotes and notes:

Paul Revere’s Ride ride remains the most memorized poem in American history.

The midnight ride of Paul Revere was written to discourage war between the north and the south. The last six lines turned the future.

Henry Ford bought the Wayside inn, in Sudbury, Massachusetts, because he was so inspired by Longfellow poems, especially the Psalm of Life.

“The next best thing to complete success is complete failure. Misery lies halfway in between.”

I was delighted to learn how influential Longfellow has been upon the words and expressions of the American populace This is just one of many many instances: the phrase “pitter patter of little feet” is from one of his poems.

I laughed when I read that the Concord, Massachusetts crowd called Bronson Alcott, Harold Skimpole!

Longfellow enjoyed friendship with many of the literary figures of his day, including Nathaniel Hawthorne, Henry David Thorough, Ralph Waldo Emerson, and Charles Dickens. And surprisingly, he was as famous or more famous than they all. But he was excised from the literary anthologies by the modernists, who thought his works were too sweet and idealistic. This is why today we know Edgar Allen Poe, but not Longfellow, who outshined him domestically and internationally.
-----

Longfellow was massively popular during his day. But in the 20th century scholars became dismisses of him. They exercise him from the anthologies so that students didn’t read him anymore. It was deliberate and he was exercised from places of higher learning.

Yet for all his beans dismissed by scholars, he was loved by Theodore Roosevelt. And he is still the only American poet to have a bust of his likeness in poets corner in Westminster Abbey.

Robert Frost was a fan.

Scholars looked down on him, because he was thought to be too gentle, and didn’t speak of the tragedies of life with an existential voice

Harold blue was a fan. He said that all that silliness about dismissing Longfellow was finally over.

Article, Longfellow, in the aftermath of modernism.

Today he is back in university, halls, and anthologies.

He was the translator and champion of Dante. And the editor and champion of 31 volumes of poetry from all over the world.

The courtship of Miles Standish. He’s a direct descendent of John Alden and Priscilla Mullins.

[Marcas]

A beautifully written biography of a masterful, and unduly neglected poet! Nicholas shows why this is, and why it is wrong.

Cross of Snow is well written, well researched and very much needed. Hopefully Basbanes can restore this poet to his rightful place among the great literary figures of US history.

You can watch my interview with the author here:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bRhPh...

Longfellow has a timeless childlike wonder, which rises above mere sentimentality but is filled with affections. He sees the evils and trials of the world-personal and societal- but sees beyond them, and remained unbroken.

Moreover, the form of his poetry is admirable and melodic, while the content of his work is ageless and incarnate. Attentive as he is to trees, and streams and seasons, to close personal relationships, Eros, family life, food, friendship, travels and true culture, the Almighty, and all that makes life worth living.

[A.K. Frailey · Rating 5 out of 5]

Cross of Snow was a fascinating as well as an informative look at the life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and the significant people in his life. What a great way to get an inside view of the life and times in which he lived. Since he was a very cosmopolitan person and traveled widely, had a huge variety of friendships, and was involved in the formation of the great universities of his time, his life choices and perspectives helped to shape the best in our country and our world. A wonderful and poignant read.

[Spencer Drake · Rating 4 out of 5]

Nicholas Basbanes' 'Cross of Snow' excellently communicates the tragedy, gentleness, love, and sorrow of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow's life, with a special focus on Henry's wife Fanny Appleton's lyrical contributions as an intellctual muse and companion. It does not take a fine hand to draw a reader into the exceptional emotional highs and lows of Henry's life, and yet Basbanes brings a poetic aplomb to these personal narratives which easily brings this biography to the forefront of the contemporary 'Longfellow Renaissance'. For those that enjoy Longfellow's poetry 'Cross of Snow' brings a new, personal dimension to every poem, but I believe this book's greatest strength lies in revitalising the diverse cosmopolitan society of Victorian New England, which anyone may enjoy. Bisbanes engages with the visceral reality of Longfellow's everyday life through a variety of journal entries, letters, and artefacts which each carry their own interpretive undercurrents. Bisbanes crafts an overarching narrative which uses reams of thoroughly thumbed archival documents, but their spin still feels fresh and has allowed me to appreciate my own research into Longfellow's life and his writings in a new light.

[Bcoghill Coghill · Rating 5 out of 5]

I’ve read Longfellow biography before but this is far and away the best.
My mother introduced me to Hiawatha and the Blacksmith. In college I was introduced to Dante and in the 1980s I read Longfellow’s Inferno.
So thankful to find him again.

[David Dunlap · Rating 4 out of 5]

A fine, well-written, well-documented biography of the most popular poet in the United States -- if not the world -- in the 19th Century. The author begins with a quick overview of the sharp decline in Longfellow's reputation following his death -- but also indicates that a deserved reappraisal of his works is presently underway. The Longfellow we see in these pages was an internationalist, a cosmopolitan, fluent in multiple languages, an appreciator of intelligent women, a quiet philanthropist, and, perhaps most importantly, a good, gentle, kind soul. (I was charmed by reading about fans coming to his front door and knocking, finding Longfellow himself there to meet and greet them.) The author does an excellent job of laying the groundwork of Longfellow's interesting family and his European tour when fresh from college. The central part of the book is almost a dual biography: of Longfellow and of the brilliant love of his life, his second wife Frances (Fanny) Appleton, a helpmeet of the the first order. (She is a fascinating and talented figure all her own.) But, however successful Longfellow was during his lifetime, he was star-crossed in love, losing his first wife Mary Storer Potter after four years of marriage, due to complications from a miscarriage, and his beloved Fanny to a freak accident in their home. -- I enjoyed reading this book quite a bit (it seems about the right length, thankfully not falling prey to the elephantine impulses behind too many biographies churned out these days). My only criticisms are (a) the chronology folds back on itself sometimes (I suppose for thematic reasons, but no less confusing for that) and (b) the author periodically breaks the fourth wall, as it were, to interject himself, his opinions and insights, and the comments of scholars (I didn't find this particularly helpful or attractive). Still, there is much meat in this book for the Longfellow lover to savor and digest -- many of the elements included never before shared in previous biographies of the poet and his circle.

[Drew Norwood · Rating 3 out of 5]

This biography was not all that I hoped it would be, but it was still good. Basbanes had access to more letters and primary source documents than any other Longfellow biographer before him. I hoped for more discussion of Longfellow's spiritual life. I wanted to hear about the faith of the man who wrote The Bells of San Blas, and Christmas Bells. But the book does not venture very far into that territory.

Accidentally, the biography gives you a glimpse into the private and social lives of the literati of the time--most directly of Longfellow's close circle of friends (such as the "fireside poets," Bowdoin College alumni, and colleagues of the Harvard faculty), but also more generally of America in the 1800s.

[Brian Willis · Rating 3 out of 5]

A well written, complete biography of the poet's life and experiences. While Longfellow didn't suffer from scandal or controversy in his life, he did have a couple of personal tragedies. Basbanes also gives us a generous amount of time on Fanny Appleworth, Longfellow's second wife and a fascinating woman. Without being an exhausting book, the main text clocks in at 380 pages. The reader gets the sense of watching Longfellow through a glass screen and admiring his depth of learning and his essential human decency. One of the poets who wasn't personally controversial and yet widely admired.

However, some of the digressions into adjunct issues such as Fanny's life and the flammability of crinoline detract from the main narrative thrust of the biography, even suspiciously covering for lack of available knowledge on aspects of Longfellow's life. However, most importantly for me, a book I really want to give four stars falls to three because I learned little to nothing about Longfellow's poetic life and the craft of his writing or even in most cases how it was inspired. In a literary biography, I want some insight into the process and how Longfellow created his works. His poems, for a modern reader, have a very singsongy quality with heavy end rhymes, and since Basbanes insists that his reputation is undergoing a re-evaluation, why is he important to us now? What are we missing by ignoring him? Without that, he just comes across as popular in his time and to the Boston-Cambridge area. I know better, but I want more on the poems so that I can admire them better. Perhaps an academic will come up with those answers.

Still, a fantastic book on the scale of learning about his life, especially if you live in the Cambridge area or want more in depth knowledge of William Henry Longfellow's life.

[Alexander Young · Rating 4 out of 5]

This book proves what I already knew from reading Longfellow, that he was the best of men.

This book is very thorough, it’s author evidently appreciated the poet and strove to uncover all he could about him as the various quotations of letters, diaries, and the various paper trials and artifacts he deals with testifies. The book itself, however, isn’t the best written. The author, occasionally throughout the book, addresses the reader in first person which is kind of odd in a biography. It was an enjoyable read notwithstanding, but two-thirds through the narrative fails a bit, and the most trifling data (like whether Fanny, the poets wife, was being referred to in a classical illusion in a book written by a mutual friend or not) is given far too much room. It wraps up well, thankfully. Aside from the light it sheds on the Longfellow’s family, it provides an enlightening peek into the 18 century literary Boston elites, and their early liberal outlook.

I am thankful more scholarship is being done on, in his own time the most popular American poet (even outselling Browning in England), this now almost neglected brilliant poet. Longfellow will always have a special place in my heart as he was the gateway poet for me and at various crossing-roads or trials of my life a Longfellow poem has spoke to me.

Go read this short poem and tell me it doesn’t touch your cold, hard heart, and then go read some more Longfellow: https://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem...

[Darcy · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is probably the last book I'll read this year and I'm glad I ended 2023 on a high note. I loved this biography! Longfellow has gone out of style, but in his time he was universally loved (except by Edgar Allan Poe, apparently). Basbanes gives his reader a look at Longfellow’s inner life, through his many letters and journal entries and I came away with a love for Longfellow, who was not only a philological genius (he was able to speak at-least eight languages), but a man with true goodwill for others. The reader also gets a glimpse into how intellectually rich the literary circle of Americans was during this period, as well as the transatlantic relationships the writers in America had with those in Britain. I do wish this biography was longer and more in-depth. Basbanes constantly mentioned the abundant amount of material there is related to the Longfellow family, but this biography was only 380 pages. I also wish someone would write a biography on Fanny Longfellow, who was also much admired for her intellectual abilities and kindness.

[Susan Dietz · Rating 5 out of 5]

Basbanes does a brilliant job at bringing his reader into the life of Longfellow and those around him. I enjoyed how he brought the span of the 19th century to the sequelae and recognizable points in the 20th and 21st century. I was intrigued when I saw the book after a friend sent me Patience and Fortitude given my interest in the lives of poets. I was surprised that I could not put the book down as I've never been very taken by Longfellow's work. I feel like I've been through a terrific course on 19th century America- from his travels through Europe, his romances (particularly Franny, his second wife, who needs a Basbanes book of her own) and the Boston society at such a tumultuous time in US history. Our current pandemic and political malstrom make the book more current then a work of history. Cross of Snow is a gem that weaves in delightful nuggets of history, all the while incorporating letters and poetry. Finishing it, I immediately wanted to start it again.

[Cynthia Marcus · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a well researched book, but it is lacking as a biography. It works better as a cultural history of 19th century New England. More time is spent talking about Longfellow's friends and colleagues and his second wife, Fanny, than the main subject. Long stretches of the book are nothing more than a litany of names, dates and places.

Longfellow and Fanny both kept extensive diaries and maintained decades long correspondences. The author had access to this treasure drove, yet he fails to use these primary sources to illuminate the inner life of Longfellow. In addition, while Basbanes names various poems and tells us when and where they were written, he spends almost no time analyzing these works. Only two times in the book are poems discussed in any detail and in both instances, the discussions were less than two pages.

All in all, this was a disappointing book if your goal is too learn about Longfellow's poetry and the inner life from which his works flowed.

[James · Rating 4 out of 5]

A thoughtful and emotionally resonant work that blends biography, literary history, and quiet mystery. The book explores how personal loss shaped one of the most influential literary figures of the nineteenth century. Basbanes approaches his subject with sensitivity and care, offering readers a deeply human portrait of Longfellow beyond his public fame.

What makes this especially compelling is its reflective pace and rich attention to detail. Basbanes skillfully weaves together letters, historical context, and literary analysis to illuminate how grief and love informed Longfellow’s later poetry. The narrative invites readers to slow down and consider how creativity can serve as both expression and refuge during life’s most difficult moments.

Cross of Snow is a rewarding and moving read that honors its subject while offering meaningful insights into the connection between life experience and creative legacy

[Stuart Endick · Rating 5 out of 5]

The pleasures of Nicholas Basbanes’ Cross of Snow are almost too numerous to mention. Foremost in my view is that in describing Henry Wadsworth Longfellow’s life the author immerses us in the literary and cultural world of the mid Nineteenth Century and of Longfellow’s contemporaries. The author delights in sharing with us his discoveries in the various archives holding Longfellow material, especially Longfellow House in Cambridge, Massachusetts. And of particular interest to a general readership looking for a good story is the significant space devoted to Longfellow’s wife Fanny who was his intellectual and romantic partner before her tragic death. Hopefully this much overdue biography, which is both lively and scholarly, will help to restore Longfellow’s place in the pantheon of our national literature.

[Colby Woodis · Rating 5 out of 5]

This bio is meant to be savored. My first read by NAB, I’m struck by his ability to bring animation to the objects of Fanny and Henry’s life. NAB creates a magical picture of the richness and dynamic reality of the Longfellow ecosphere. I look forward to reading more NAB!

Longfellow, himself, was a name that I knew, but before reading, I could list maybe one of his works. I’m left considering him one of the great, if not the greatest, American poet. His Everyman approach to his work breaks down the Modern barriers I’ve found in reading poetry. It’s been a privilege to read this book and realize that there is so much beautiful Longfellow for me explore.

From “Hyperion” onward, none of HWL’s work would have been possible without his muse, Fanny. What a magnificent woman she must have been! Truly, an Aspasia, if there ever was one.

5 stars.

[Dylan Teut · Rating 5 out of 5]

Longfellow was plagued by constant disaster and tragedy in his life; and yet, he overcame each harrowing event a strong man and each time, managed to summon strength and hope within himself to lurch forward and even create something good.
One of Longfellow's notable works is the song, I Heard the Bells on Christmas Day. Penned long ago, the rich history of the grief that motivated this hymn and the peace and hope that penetrate its gloom is inspiring.
I fear that the gaps of my own knowledge of world history contributed to some points of confusion and re-reading. That is not by fault of the author, but of my own lack of background knowledge.
I appreciate that ancient carol even more after reading this biography.
After all, there is always a peal of hope of peace on earth, good-will toward men.

[Caleb · Rating 2 out of 5]

Listened to the audiobook via my public library.

Longfellow is one of my favorite writers so I was looking forward to reading a good bio of him. Unfortunately I don’t seem to know him much better after this one. There are huge sections of the book about other people involved in Longfellow’s life, leaving me at times wondering who I was even reading about. Many of these sections were dreadfully dull and tedious.

The actual parts about Longfellow the man and writer could have been placed in an essay.

I’ll keep looking for another bio of Longfellow, one that will help me better understand the man and his writing.

[Joseph J. · Rating 5 out of 5]

Superb. One doesn't have to be a fan of Longfellow's work or, indeed, poetry itself to become absorbed into the man's life and times. Nicholas Basbanes brilliantly places Longfellow in his 19th. century nation and world. While embracing his contemporaries in literature and the arts, Longfellow's reach of friendship embraced Charles Sumner, in a time of abolitionist politics (surprisingly) fraught even in New England. As a young married man his literary interests led Longfellow to Europe, with tragic results. Tragedy indeed marred his married life. Longfellow's life provides a multi-faceted American and European view of 19th. -century arts and culture.

[Gary Miller · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is the tenth book I've read of Basbanes. I enjoyed every single one. A most scholarly work, this is an in depth biography of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Perhaps not a book for those looking for just a simple overview. Longfellow lived in one of the most interesting and critical times of American history. And he lived in the center of it all, a profound influence writers today seldom have. Basbanes writing carried me along, making fun out of teaching me about Longfellow and just how important he was.

[Michael Cody · Rating 5 out of 5]

After his years of teaching, Longfellow focused on the work of a poet. Yet his preparation through education and academic work was, in a sense, his apprenticeship, his juvenilia. This biography makes clear how important the life he lived was to the work he did.

Supplement this book with Dana Gioia’s essay “Longfellow in the Aftermath of Modernism” to understand how we lost this great American artist and how we might recover our appreciation of him.

[Carissa · Rating 5 out of 5]

An outstanding biography of America's preeminent 19th century poet. Though unfashionable now, Longfellow was a brilliant scholar, an extraordinary linguist, and (unusually) a thoroughly good and decent man. His life stretched from the early years of the American republic until after the Civil War. The book pays particular attention to his relationship with his second wife, herself a gifted intellectual who enriched his working life as well as his personal life.

[Jan P · Rating 5 out of 5]

Terrific story of the life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. As a Bostonian and a fan from my youth, I thoroughly enjoyed reading about his personal life as well as what moved him to write not only poems but novels as well. It has perked my desire to read some of his works again and also ones I hadn't read previously.

[Kay's Pallet · Rating 2 out of 5]

I didn't love this. It didn't have a strong storyline it was following. Just felt like patchwork journal entries put in chronological order. They also talked about other people with the same level of importance as Henry, making Henry feel like a side character at times. I found it boring and unnecessarily long.

[Jessica Carol · Rating 5 out of 5]

Wonderfully drawn together. Initially, I trudged along until Fanny's brilliance danced across the page. Upon her first introduction I was hooked (and heartbroken), admiring Longfellow more and more as I read because of her. Both wonderful in their own right and was so pleased to read of their mutual support for each other.

[Nicholas Seders · Rating 4 out of 5]

Bringing Longfellow Poems to Life
I have appreciated HWL since first encountering “Christmas Bells” several years ago. Reading through this biography, in tandem with works like Evangeline and The Courtship of Miles Standish, has made me a true fan. Understanding the travels and tragedies of Longfellow’s life enriches the (already enjoyable) experience of reading his poetry!

[Alex Stephenson · Rating 4 out of 5]

The writing itself is more compelling than its subject, and the subject's wife is more compelling than the subject. Not the combo for a perfect bio, but the combo for a fascinatingly unique and lovely one.

[Kristen · Rating 4 out of 5]

An engaging book about an extraordinary man. I enjoyed it from beginning to end, as it gave me a glimpse into the past. I loved hearing about his relationship with his second wife. They seemed like a good match, with much love between them. This was rare with other well-known writers of the time.

[Becky · Rating 4 out of 5]

It was interesting to learn more about a famous person. He had a great mind. The book was written well but I thought it was too detailed about his courtship with Fanny and not enough about his life after her death.