Description
The poet who turned verse into performance — decades before the Beats. Some poets write for the page; Vachel Lindsay wrote for the crowd. In City of Discontent, Mark Harris delivers a vivid, sympathetic portrait of the American poet (1879–1931) who chanted his verses with theatrical flair, walking across the country preaching his “gospel of beauty” in exchange for meals and lodging.
Harris traces Lindsay’s journey from beloved Springfield, Illinois, to national fame with “The Congo” and “General William Booth Enters into Heaven” — and into the heartbreak that followed: the fading spotlight, money troubles, and the depression that ended with his suicide in 1931 at fifty-two. Rather than dry chronology, this is interpretive biography — seeking the man behind the verse, his democratic idealism, his complicated fame, his love for ordinary Americans.
Originally published in 1952, the book that rescued a singular voice from obscurity — a must-read for poetry lovers and anyone drawn to brilliant, fragile figures of American literature.
Some poets write for the page — Vachel Lindsay wrote for the crowd. In City of Discontent, Mark Harris delivers a vivid, sympathetic portrait of the American poet (1879–1931) who turned poetry into performance decades before the Beat generation, chanting his verses with theatrical flair in exchange for meals and lodging as he walked across the country preaching his “gospel of beauty.”
Harris traces Lindsay’s journey from his beloved Springfield, Illinois, to national fame with poems like “The Congo” and “General William Booth Enters into Heaven,” and into the heartbreak that followed: the fading spotlight, money troubles, and the depression that ended with his suicide in 1931 at fifty-two. Rather than a dry chronology, this is an interpretive biography — Harris seeks to understand the man behind the verse, his democratic idealism, his complicated relationship with fame, and his deep love for ordinary Americans.
Originally published in 1952 and honored with the 1991 New American Writing Award, this is the book that rescued a singular voice from obscurity. A must-read for poetry lovers and anyone drawn to the brilliant, fragile figures of American literature.
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