Emily Dickinson, Biography Of An Enigmatic Woman

Emily Dickinson is considered one of the greatest poets of all time, despite the fact that during her life she only published about six poems without much success.

She was a very enigmatic woman, to the point that there are many aspects of her life that are still not fully understood and are the subject of all kinds of conjecture.

One of those mysteries has to do with the at least 300 love poems  that he passionately wrote for someone. It is not clear who that great love was, especially since no relationship was ever known to her and, in fact, Emily Dickinson died single and, most likely, also a virgin.

It is also unclear if some of his habits were just eccentricities or perhaps he was prey to some  more serious emotional or mental problem. What is evident is that she was an extraordinary poet, who is currently compared to the greatest, such as Edgar Allan Poe or Walt Whitman.

Emily Dickinson and a happy childhood

Emily Dickinson was born into a  very privileged family , which came from New England. She carried with her a strong Protestant and Puritan tradition, which profoundly influenced the life and work of the poet. However, she never fully defined herself: sometimes, she seemed a classical mystic and other times, a pagan.

Emily came into the world on December 10, 1830, in Amherst, Massachusetts (United States). His father, like other members of his family, held important positions in the government.

It was precisely his family that pioneered the opening of an educational center for girls, who at that time rarely received instruction.

The future poet received her first training at that school and there she entered the knowledge of basic sciences. In addition, he received piano lessons from his aunt and other private gardening  and horticulture classes , trades that he loved until the last day of his life. She was also a huge fan of astronomy.

A particular young woman

After completing her basic instruction, Emily Dickinson went to study at a junior seminary. There they gave academic training, but the main objective was to educate religious missionaries.

She was proposed to dedicate herself to this activity, but after much thought, she decided not to. For the same reason, she graduated from that center as “unconverted.”

Actually, he left the seminary due to a health problem. It is known that from a very young age she was fond of poetry and that she loved to invent stories with which she amused her companions. Out of the seminary, he returned to his father’s house and remained there for the rest of his life.

There were two men who piqued an enormous interest in her. One was Benjamin Franklin Newton, an intelligent and savvy man, who came into his life to recommend reading and to flatter his intelligence. However, this possible suitor was sick with tuberculosis and, perhaps because of that, he was taken away from her. Shortly after this, he died, leaving her with great sorrow.

The other man was Charles Wasdworth, a pastor, who was also a renowned pianist. This man was married and it is said that he turned away from her so as not to “fall into temptation”, although this is not entirely proven. She admired him deeply, but he too died.

Eccentricities and genius

Many of his biographers speculate that his love poems were dedicated to these men. However, there is a more plausible version according to which the object of his affection was Susan Gilbert, a childhood friend and wife of his brother. This would explain the reasons why there was so much mystery in relation to his affections.

Emily Dickinson refused not only to publish her work, but even to share it with those closest to her. Therefore, only six of her more than 1,800 poems saw the light, while she was alive.

The last 15 years of her life she spent locked up, first in her house and then exclusively in her room. He also adopted the habit of wearing exclusively white.

During that time, she only went out to her beloved garden and the rest of the time was spent in her voluntary confinement. He died of a kidney problem on May 15, 1886.

Her younger sister and faithful admirer, Vinnie, was the one who found the 40 volumes of poetry, bound by hand, that Emily was hiding. Vinne herself made this extraordinary work known to the world.