H.W. Longfellow wrote the poem Song of Hiawatha. In his day, Henry Wadsworth Longfellow (1807–1882), an American poet, was well-known. Although Longfellow has a position in the Romantic literary movement with his British colleagues, his notoriety and success are due to his talent at capturing the spirit and ideals of 19th-century American society. Although the poem stirred up some controversy when it was first published, as it still does now, it was warmly received. Some criticise Longfellow for attempting to describe the Native American experience from the perspective of an outsider. However, the poem's importance in popularising Native American folklore is still worth noting.