Emily Dickinson(1830-1886)
- Writer
- Music Department
- Additional Crew
Emily Dickinson, a shy, unassuming, educated woman, was a poet of
extraordinary talent. During her lifetime, only seven of her poems were
published, although upon her death, she had written an amazing 2,000
poems. Many of these were not finished. Her grandfather, Samuel Fowler
Dickinson, was one of the founders of Amherst College, and her father
served as the lawyer and treasurer for the institution. Her father was
a politician, and served in powerful positions on the General Court of
Massachusetts, the Massachusetts State Senate, and the United States
House of Representatives. She suffered from persistent eye problems for
most of her life. After the late 1860s, Dickinson never left the
boundaries of her family's property in Massachusetts, and prior to
that, had traveled seldom. Living a life of seclusion, she daydreamed
and read, and thankfully, wrote some of the most inspiring, creative
poems of her generation. For inspiration and reference, she often drew
from the Bible, classical mythology, and Shakespeare. The year
preceding her death she was bedridden. Dickinson died at age 55 in her
family's home where she had lived her entire life.
