Mr. Higginson,
Are you too deeply occupied to say if my Verse is alive?
The Mind is so near itself – it cannot see, distinctly – and I have none to ask.
Should you think it breathed – and had you the leisure to tell me, I should feel quick gratitude –
If I make the mistake – that you dared to tell me – would give me sincerer honor – toward you –
I enclose my name – asking you, if you please – Sir – to tell me what is true?
That you will not betray me – it is needless to ask – since Honor is it’s own pawn –
Your friend, E. Dickinson
About This Letter
Historical Context
Written in April 1862 after Dickinson read Higginson's essay 'Letter to a Young Contributor' in The Atlantic Monthly. This began a lifelong correspondence between the reclusive poet and the literary critic who became her most important literary correspondent.
Significance
This letter marks Dickinson's first attempt to share her poetry with the outside world. It reveals her uncertainty about her work's value while demonstrating the unique voice that would make her one of America's greatest poets. The correspondence that followed preserved much of what we know about her thoughts on poetry.
About Emily Dickinson
Emily Dickinson (1830-1886) was an American poet who lived most of her life in seclusion in Amherst, Massachusetts. Though only a few of her poems were published during her lifetime, she is now recognized as one of the most important American poets, known for her innovative use of form and syntax.
About Thomas Wentworth Higginson
Thomas Wentworth Higginson (1823-1911) was an American Unitarian minister, author, abolitionist, and soldier. He served as Dickinson's literary correspondent for over twenty years, though he never fully understood the revolutionary nature of her poetry.
Additional Resources
- The Letters of Emily Dickinson Collection of Dickinson's correspondence and poetry
- Emily Dickinson and Thomas Higginson Biography and literary significance
- Letter to a Young Contributor The essay that prompted Dickinson to write