Walt Whitman was born in 1819, and from an early age evinced an intense curiosity and wonder in the miracle of Existence, and its ultimate meaning. In his collection of poems, Leaves of Grass, Whitman brings a new voice to America Literature - a voice that flouted many poetic conventions and covered a wide range of subjects, from freedom to slavery, war to peace, and (most controversial of all for its time) love and sexuality. According to Professor James E Miller, the book "... seemed designed to shock and startle, surprise and disturb." And for most readers, Whitman's masterpiece succeeds in doing just that.