# Outre-Mer

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***Outre-Mer: A Pilgrimage Beyond the Sea*** is a [prose](/source/Prose) collection by American poet [Henry Wadsworth Longfellow](/source/Henry_Wadsworth_Longfellow). It was the first major work by Longfellow and it was inspired by his travels in Europe as a young man. The term "outre-mer" is [French](/source/French_language) for "overseas".

## Overview

In preparation for his employment as a professor of language at his alma mater [Bowdoin College](/source/Bowdoin_College), Longfellow traveled to Europe.[1] His stay there may have inspired *Outre-Mer*. It is his first published literary work after previously publishing academic texts.[2]

After Longfellow received a professorship at [Harvard College](/source/Harvard_College), he rented a room in [Cambridge, Massachusetts](/source/Cambridge,_Massachusetts) from Elizabeth Craigie, the widow of [Andrew Craigie](/source/Andrew_Craigie), who had been the first [Apothecary General](/source/Apothecary_General) of the United States, in the summer of 1837.[3] Assuming the young-looking Longfellow was a student at neighboring Harvard, Mrs. Craigie refused to board him. Longfellow convinced her that he was a faculty member, and pointed out that he was the author of *Outre-Mer*, which she had a copy of.[4] The Craigie House is now the [Longfellow House–Washington's Headquarters National Historic Site](/source/Longfellow_House%E2%80%93Washington's_Headquarters_National_Historic_Site). When Longfellow first met his wife-to-be Fanny Appleton, she was traveling in [Switzerland](/source/Switzerland) in 1836 with her family, including her father the industrialist [Nathan Appleton](/source/Nathan_Appleton). After meeting Longfellow, she wrote in her journal that she hoped he would not "pop in on us" though, she admitted "I did like his Outre-Mer".[5]

## Publication history and reception

Longfellow, who was experimenting with prose writings, published the first parts of *Outre-Mer* in pamphlet form in the 1830s. [Harper & Brothers](/source/Harper_%26_Brothers) published the completed work in two volumes in 1835 without the author's name.[6] Longfellow traveled to Europe shortly afterward, and while in London had an English edition printed, credited only by "An American".[6]

The book was not particularly successful. The indifferent reception, as well as his duties as a Harvard professor, prevented Longfellow from producing significant literary works until 1838, with his poem "[A Psalm of Life](/source/A_Psalm_of_Life)" and his novel *[Hyperion](/source/Hyperion_(Longfellow))*.[7] However, Longfellow's former [Bowdoin College](/source/Bowdoin_College) classmate [Nathaniel Hawthorne](/source/Nathaniel_Hawthorne) enjoyed the work so much that it inspired him to rekindle their acquaintanceship. Hawthorne also offered Longfellow a copy of his recently published *[Twice-Told Tales](/source/Twice-Told_Tales)*.[8]

Longfellow would later work with publishers [Ticknor and Fields](/source/Ticknor_and_Fields) in Boston, which reissued *Outre-Mer* and most of his other early writings in the 1850s.

## References

1. Arvin, Newton. *Longfellow: His Life and Work*. Boston: Little, Brown and Company, 1963: 26.

1. Williams, Cecil B. *Henry Wadsworth Longfellow*. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 66.

1. Wagenknecht, Edward. *Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Portrait of an American Humanist*. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966: 6.

1. Wagenknecht, Edward. *Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Portrait of an American Humanist*. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966: 7.

1. Wagenknecht, Edward. *Henry Wadsworth Longfellow: Portrait of an American Humanist*. New York: Oxford University Press, 1966: 162.

1. Williams, Cecil B. *Henry Wadsworth Longfellow*. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 109.

1. Williams, Cecil B. *Henry Wadsworth Longfellow*. New York: Twayne Publishers, Inc., 1964: 114.

1. Mellow, James R. *Hawthorne in His Times*. Boston: Houghton Mifflin Company, 1980: 78–79. ISBN 0-395-27602-0

## External links

- [1893 edition of *Outre-Mer*](https://books.google.com/books?id=KQ81AAAAMAAJ&q=%22outre+mer%22+longfellow) at [Google Book Search](/source/Google_Book_Search)

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Adapted from the Wikipedia article [Outre-Mer](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outre-Mer) by Wikipedia contributors ([contributor history](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Outre-Mer?action=history)). Available under [Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 International](https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/). Changes may have been made.