Riley's enormous popularity: the Raggedy Man was Infallible ear for everyday speech which is most accountable for Recognizable as careless Americana of almost any state. Recognizable, if modified, Rileyesque–but much of his dialect is also His Hoosier was perfection itself–most of us who were reared in Indiana, unless we are constantly alert, find ourselves lapsing into The accurate hearing and the true recording of dialect he was unsurpassed in his Repolishing until his verse was near technical perfection. Hitt earned the eternal gratitude of all Hoosiers and a good slice ofĪs a craftsman Riley was indefatigable, polishing and The book was an immediate success, and by his venturesome spirit Mr. JOURNAL and Riley together financed its publication. Hitt, business manager of the INDIANAPOLIS Johnson, of Boone ,ĭid not inspire any publisher with enthusiasm, but George C. His first book of collected poems, The Ole Swimmin' Hole, and "Leven More Poems, byīenj. Pseudonyms, there was little further contribution to periodicals until the middle Possibly because all of his energies were nowĭevoted to filling the JOURNAL and other papers in Indianapolis and elsewhere with poems, letters and sketches over a variety of Periodical of national circulation is thought to have been with the poem "Aĭestiny" in the April, 1875, issue of HEARTH AND HOME. He had contributed rather widelyĭuring the preceding two or three years, but in 1878,Įncouraged by a welcome in Indianapolis, his greatest period of production began. Take far more than his share of these columns. There were routine assignments on the JOURNAL, but there wasĪlso a space to be filled with poetry and Riley soon began to Good newspaperman when it saw one, hired him, and there he stayed from 1877 to 1885. (according to tradition) at its employee's lapse of literary integrity,Ĭast him out but the INDIANAPOLIS JOURNAL, which knew a Maintained their pronouncements correct even after Riley hadĪdmitted his authorship. Many critics accepted it as an unknown Poe production, and quite a few of them Note to the effect that it had been discovered on the flyleaf of an old dictionary. "Leonainie," in the style of, and signed with the initials of,Įdgar Allan Poe. While working on that paper he wrote a poem, Next move was to the ANDERSON DEMOCRAT in April, 1877. He still accepted a sign-painting order occasionally, and one of the Publicity, he wrote some advertising jingles for the GREENFIELD He continued his contributions to Indianapolis papers and presently, beginning to make use of his experience in His literary experience and his travels gave him a good background for journalism,Īnd he became an employee of one of the local papers. Man of the world, he returned to Greenfield. Through March, April and May over the signature "Jay Whit." Inġ873, only twenty-four years old but a widely traveled Inġ872 he sent several poems to the Indianapolis SATURDAY MIRROR, a literary weekly. Songs were in vogue, and Riley began to write their lyrics. The wagon-show had a musical department, topical Shortly, however, he found an outlet for his talent for versifying, partiallyĭiscovered in his school days. Perfecting himself in that trade he engaged as advance agent and displayĪdvertising specialist (in the barn-side and back fence media) for a wagon-show. Profession only slightly above that of minstrel man or medicine show spieler in thatĭay. James Whitcomb took up sign-painting, which ranked as a Seems to have given at least tacit consent to his defection. Or success–and his father, probably noting his very apparent incapacity, Once out of the school, however, he began a ratherįor a short time he read law in his father's office, without hope, interest
In the GREENFIELD COMMERCIAL in the fall of 1870. Riley apparently had his first poem published Harris, who, although his own efforts at verseīrought him no fame, was credited by Riley with having been a
Teacher who was interested in both the reading and writing of poetry.
He was named for an Indiana governor and he attended the local schools, where he fortunately had a (probably, although biographers differ as to the year), the son of Reubin "early promise." He was born in Greenfield, Ind., on Oct. The beginnings of James Whitcomb Riley were auspicious enough,Īlthough he showed very little of what biographers of his day liked to call No American poet–those patriarchs of New England included–has thus far caught the popular fancy, has thus farĮnjoyed the voluntary following, that was and is his. To some hundreds of thousands who still read and enjoy his verse, James Whitcomb Riley is Indiana.
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