He is one of the most recognised figures in American literary history: poet, patriot and faithful advocate of democracy. He has adherents around the globe. But in his time, critics denounced Walt Whitman as a 'lunatic raving in pitiable delirium.' They pronounced his signature book of poetry, Leaves of Grass, 'slimy,' 'vile,' and 'beastly.' One reviewer wished to see him whipped in public; another suggested he commit suicide.

Even by his own measure, Walt Whitman failed in many ways in his own lifetime: failed in his attempt to reach a vast audience of ordinary men and women; failed to achieve the laurels he craved; and most painfully, failed to talk the nation out of an impending civil war.

In Walt Whitman, a documentary featuring Academy Award-winning actor Chris Cooper (Seabiscuit, Adaptation) as the voice of Whitman, Pulitzer Prize-winning poet Yusef Komunyakaa, novelist Allan Gurganus, poet and essayist Martin Espada and former poet laureate Billy Collins appear to recite some of Whitman's most important works and reflect upon the enduring influence of America's first great poet.