Sidney Lanier
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Brief Biography
Sidney Lanier was a native of Macon, Georgia. He graduated from Oglethorpe College in 1860 and then served in the Confederate Army as one of the Macon Volunteers. He became a prisoner of war and contacted tuberculosis while spending five months in a Union prison at Point Lookout, Maryland. After being released from prison in early 1865, Lanier briefly returned to Macon and then moved to Montgomery, Alabama. While in Alabama, Lanier wrote his first and only novel, Tiger-Lilies, in about three weeks. He then moved to cities like Prattville and Macon to teach or practice law while writing poetry and essays. In 1873, he moved to Baltimore, Maryland, and played flute with the Peabody Orchestra. He became well-known for his musical composition “Black Birds.” Lanier then became a lecturer at John Hopkins University before he died of tuberculosis complications in 1881. His family posthumously published collections of his poetry and essays.
Publications
Tiger Lilies. New York; Hurd & Houghton and Company, 1867.
The English Novel. New York; C. Scribner's Sons, 1883.
Florida: Its Scenery, Climate, and History. Gainesville; University of Florida Press, 1973.
The English Novel. New York; C. Scribner's Sons, 1883.
Florida: Its Scenery, Climate, and History. Gainesville; University of Florida Press, 1973.
Themes
Sidney Lanier was a poet, essayist, and novelist. Much of his poetry reflects the theme of nature while his novel reflects themes of war, intellectualism, and art.
Publisher
Alabama Authors of the 19th and 20th Centuries, edited by Beverley Park Rilett, http://AlabamaAuthors.org
Collection
Citation
Lanier, Sidney, “Sidney Lanier,” Alabama Authors of the 19th & 20th Centuries, accessed September 19, 2024, https://alabamaauthors.org/items/show/625.