ASU poet comments on rare Edison recording of Walt Whitman

T.R. Hummer, poet and professor of English at ASU, spoke of the importance of a rare recording purported to be Walt Whitman reading from his poem, “America.”

According to Hummer, the many interpretations of the poem – and of Whitman himself – are what keeps readers and scholars interested. Add the audio recording believed to have been made by Thomas Edison (he of light bulb and phonograph fame), and we’ll be hooked for centuries to come.

Is it or is it not the voice of Walt Whitman?

T.R. Hummer: “Who hears this voice hears a man. ... How glorious to hear him, whoever he might be. He reads the first four lines of a six-line poem called ‘America’ (why only four? A revision of the poem? Or was that all the time the wax cylinder allotted?). He reads the poem that is the namesake of the nation in which he had such mystical faith, such metaphysical hope. For the duration of the recording, the tension between orality and text is resolved. He springs from the pages into our arms.”

The Slate article links to the audio file hosted at the Walt Whitman Archive. Readers/listeners can decide for themselves whether hearing such a recording adds to their understanding of the poem.

Conservative and controversial blogger Andrew Sullivan also picked up Hummer's piece in his blog, ‘The Dish,’ on March 24.

The Department of English is an academic unit of the College of Liberal Arts and Sciences.