Edgar Allan Poe had mixed feelings about Benjamin, calling his writing "lucid, terse, and pungent" and his character "witty, often cuttingly sarcastic, but seldom humorous". Walt Whitman, for a time one of Benjamin's employees and protégés, hated his poetry outright.
Edgar Allan Poe held mixed opinions about Benjamin, finding his writing to be "clear and concise" and his character to be "sharp-tongued and often sarcastically witty but rarely humorous". Walt Whitman, once Benjamin's employee and protégé, had a strong dislike for his poetry.