Ode to Walt Whitman

“Ode to Walt Whitman” by Federico García Lorca was written in 1929-1930, while Lorca was a student at Columbia University in New York City. The poems written during this period were posthumously published as Poet in New York. By 1928, Lorca had published five full-length collections of poetry and, after returning to Spain in 1930, he focused on writing for theater. This guide cites the English translation of “Ode to Walt Whitman” by Greg Simon and Steven F. White.

As the title indicates, Lorca’s poem is an ode: a long, ceremonial lyric poem. Lorca is considered part of the romantic literary movement in 20th century Spain. “Ode to Walt Whitman” celebrates homoeroticism, condemns homophobic violence, and contrasts Whitman’s rural romanticism with Lorca’s urban duende (the inclusion of death and darkness as a part of life).

Poet Biography

Federico García Lorca was born in Fuente Vaqueros, Spain in 1898. His parents were a wealthy farmer and an intelligent schoolmistress. The family moved to Granada in 1910. Lorca’s experience growing up in southern Spain significantly influenced his work. Southern Spain and Andalusia have a unique culture as a result of North African, Sephardic Jewish, Catholic, French, and Islamic poetic influences.