Emily Dickinson wrote nearly 1,800 poems. Many of these exist in multiple drafts, but some are unique copies. Only ten poems were published during her lifetime, all anonymously and likely without her consent, but she was not completely averse to sharing her work and she sent hundreds of drafts to a wide range of friends and correspondents.
Dickinson is widely recognized as one of the most important poets of the nineteenth century and her work is acknowledged as a precursor to modernism. She profoundly influenced later generations of poets, writers, musicians, and visual artists.
Listen to a selection of the poems, as read by contemporary poet Lee Ann Brown, here.
This online exhibition was created in conjunction with the exhibition I’m Nobody! Who are you? The Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson, on view from January 20 through May 28, 2017.
I’m Nobody! Who are you? The Life and Poetry of Emily Dickinson is made possible with generous support from the Ricciardi Family Exhibition Fund, the Lohf Fund for Poetry, the Caroline Macomber Fund, and Rudy and Sally Ruggles, and assistance from the Acriel Foundation and the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
Emily Dickinson, Daguerreotype, ca. 1847. The Emily Dickinson Collection, Amherst College Archives & Special Collections. Gift of Millicent Todd Bingham, 1956, 1956.002