News Release

Virtual Book Launch for Cross of Snow: A Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow

News Release Date: May 19, 2020

On Tuesday, June 2 at 7:00 PM, Longfellow House-Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site will host author and award-winning investigative journalist Nick Basbanes for a live virtual launch of his new major literary biography of poet Henry Wadsworth Longfellow. Cross of Snow is a vibrant reassessment for the twenty-first century of a writer whose stature and global celebrity were unparalleled in his time. The Tuesday evening program will include illustrated remarks by Basbanes, discussion with Longfellow House archivist Kate Hanson Plass, and a facilitated discussion with viewers. Cross of Snow: A Life of Henry Wadsworth Longfellow will be released by Knopf on June 2.

Basbanes spent more than twelve years researching for this book, including in the collections at Longfellow House-Washington’s Headquarters National Historic Site. The author readily uses letters and journals in his account, adding a richness and authenticity to this telling of Longfellow’s life. Basbanes skillfully recreates the world in which Longfellow lived, giving life to his friendships, his marriage to Fanny Appleton Longfellow, and influences on his poetry.

Cross of Snow is a portrait of a bold artist, experimenter of poetic form and an innovative translator–the human being that he was, the times in which he lived, the people whose lives he touched, his monumental work and its place in his America and ours.

This event is free and open to the public. Please click here to register to receive detailed information on joining the live event. Visit www.nicholasbasbanes.com for more information about the book and the author.