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Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg (left) with his lifelong lover and friend, poet Peter Orlovsky
Born Irwin Allen Ginsberg
June 3, 1926(1926-06-03)
Newark, New Jersey, United States
Died April 5, 1997 (aged 70)
New York City, New York, United States
Occupation poet, activist, essayist
Literary movement Beat, New American Poets, Hippies, Postmodernism
Influences
Influenced

Irwin Allen Ginsberg (IPA: /ˈgɪnzbɝg/) (June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet. Peter Orlovsky (born July 8 1933 on the Lower East Side, New York City) is an American poet best known for his lifelong relationship with Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. New Jersey ( is a state in the Mid-Atlantic and Northeastern regions of the United States. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The City of New York The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Employment is a Contract between two parties, one being the employer and the other being the employee. This is a list of modern literary movements: that is movements after the Renaissance. Postmodernism literally means 'after the modernist movement' While " Modern " itself refers to something "related to the present" the movement of modernism Neal Leon Cassady ( February 8, 1926 &ndash February 4, 1968) was a major personage of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the Jack Kerouac ( March 12 1922 &ndash October 21 1969) was an American Novelist, Writer, Poet, and Wavy Gravy (born Hugh Nanton Romney on May 15, 1936) is a life-long activist for peace and personal empowerment best known for his Hippie Gregory Nunzio Corso ( March 26, 1930 &ndash January 17, 2001) was an American Poet, youngest of the inner circle William Seward Burroughs II ( – ˈbʌroʊz was an American Novelist, Essayist, Social critic, painter and Spoken word William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. Walter Whitman (May 31 1819 &ndash March 26 1892 was an American poet, Essayist journalist, and humanist. William Carlos Williams ( 17 September 1883 &ndash 4 March 1963) was an American poet closely associated with modernism Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4 1792 – July 8 1822 ˈpɝːsɪ ˈbɪʃ ˈʃɛlɪ was one of the major English Romantic poets and is widely considered to be among Ezra Weston Loomis Pound ( Hailey, Idaho Territory, United States October 30 1885 – Venice, Italy November 1 1972 was an American Expatriate Christopher Smart (11 April 1722 &ndash 21 May 1771 otherwise known as "Kit Smart" "Kitty Smart" and "Jack Smart" was an English poet "Rimbaud" redirects here For other uses see Rimbaud (disambiguation Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (ræm'boʊ or in French aʁtyʁ Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud ( September 4, 1896, in Marseille – March 4, 1948 in James Augustine Aloysius Joyce (2 February 1882 &ndash 13 January 1941 was an Irish expatriate writer widely considered to be one of the most influential writers of the Jean Genet (ʒɑ̃ ʒəˈnɛ in French ( –) was a prominent controversial French writer and later political activist. Herman Melville (August 1 1819 &ndash September 28 1891 was an American novelist Short story writer Essayist and poet Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, Harold Hart Crane ( July 21, 1899 – April 27, 1932) was an American Poet. William Shakespeare ( baptised Louis-Ferdinand Céline was the Pen name of French writer and doctor Louis-Ferdinand Destouches (27 May 1894 &ndash 1 July 1961 Lynd Kendall Ward ( 26 June 1905 &ndash 28 June 1985) was an American Artist and storyteller and son of Methodist Friedrich Christian Anton "Fritz" Lang ( December 5, 1890 &ndash August 2, 1976) was an Austrian German - American Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Wavy Gravy (born Hugh Nanton Romney on May 15, 1936) is a life-long activist for peace and personal empowerment best known for his Hippie Amiri Baraka (born October 7 1934 is an American Writer of Poetry, Drama, essays and Music criticism. Robert Lowell (March 1 1917&ndashSeptember 12 1977 born Robert Traill Spence Lowell IV, was an American Poet whose works confessional in nature John Winston Ono Lennon, MBE (born Sir James Paul McCartney, MBE (born 18 June 1942 is an English rock Singer, Bass guitarist songwriter Composer, Andrei Codrescu (born Andrei Perlmutter on December 20, 1946) is a Romanian -born American Poet, Novelist, essayist Saul Stacey Williams (born February 29, 1972) is an American poet writer actor and musician known for his blend of Poetry and Alternative hip-hop Rage Against the Machine (sometimes shortened to RATM or Rage) is Beau Sia ( Born 1976 Philippines) is a Chinese Filipino - American slam poet James Douglas Morrison (December 8 1943—July 3 1971 was an American Poet, Singer, Songwriter, Writer, and Film director Patricia Lee Smith ( born December 30 1946 is an American Singer-songwriter and poet Michael Savage may refer to Michael Savage (commentator, an American radio host author and conservative political commentator John S Hall (born John Charles Hall September 2, 1960) is an American Poet, Author, singer, and Lawyer Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The United States of America —commonly referred to as the A poet is a person who writes Poetry. Etymology From the Ancient greek: ποιέω, poieō: "I make or compose" Ginsberg is best known for the poem Howl (1956), celebrating his friends of the Beat Generation and attacking what he saw as the destructive forces of materialism and conformity in the United States at the time. Howl and Other Poems is a collection of poetry by Allen Ginsberg.

Contents

Life

Early life and family

Ginsberg was born into a Jewish family in Newark, New Jersey, and grew up in nearby Paterson. PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. His father Louis Ginsberg was a poet and a high school teacher. [1] Ginsberg's mother, Naomi Livergant Ginsberg (who was affected by epileptic seizures and mental illnesses such as paranoia[2]) was an active member of the Communist Party and often took Ginsberg and his brother Eugene to party meetings. An epileptic seizure is caused by excessive and/or hypersynchronous electrical Neuronal activity and is usually self-limiting Mental disorder or mental illness is a psychological or behavioral pattern that occurs in an individual and is thought to cause distress or disability that is not expected as Paranoia is a disturbed thought process characterized by excessive Anxiety or Fear, often to the point of Irrationality and Delusion. The Communist Party of the United States of America ( CPUSA) is a Marxist-Leninist Political party in the United States. Ginsberg later said that his mother "Made up bedtime stories that all went something like: 'The good king rode forth from his castle, saw the suffering workers and healed them. '"[3]

As a young teenager, Ginsberg began to write letters to The New York Times about political issues such as World War II and workers' rights. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including [3] When he was in junior high school, he accompanied his mother by bus to her therapist. The trip disturbed Ginsberg — he mentioned it and other moments from his childhood in his long autobiographical poem "Kaddish for Naomi Ginsberg (1894-1956). Kaddish is a poem by Beat writer Allen Ginsberg about the death of his mother Naomi in 1956 "[2] While in high school, Ginsberg began reading Walt Whitman; he said he was inspired by his teacher's passion in reading. Walter Whitman (May 31 1819 &ndash March 26 1892 was an American poet, Essayist journalist, and humanist.

In 1943, Ginsberg graduated from Eastside High School and briefly attended Montclair State University before entering Columbia University on a scholarship from the Young Men's Hebrew Association of Paterson in 1949. Eastside High School (or EHS) is a four-year Public high school in Paterson, New Jersey, United States, that serves the eastern section Montclair State University is a public university located in Upper Montclair, Little Falls, and Clifton, New Jersey. Columbia University is a private University in the United States and a member of the Ivy League. A Jewish Community Center ( JCC) is a general recreational social and fraternal organization serving the Jewish community in a number of [1] While at Columbia, Ginsberg contributed to the Columbia Review literary journal, the Jester humor magazine, won the Woodberry Poetry Prize and served as president of the Philolexian Society, the campus literary and debate group. The Jester of Columbia, or simply the Jester, is a humor magazine at Columbia University in New York City. The Philolexian Society of Columbia University is one of the oldest collegiate literary societies in the United States and the oldest student group at Columbia

New York Beats

In Ginsberg's freshman year at Columbia he met fellow undergraduate Lucien Carr, who introduced him to a number of future Beat writers including Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and John Clellon Holmes. Lucien Carr ( March 1 1925 &ndash January 28 2005) was a key member of the original New York circle of the Beat generation in the Jack Kerouac ( March 12 1922 &ndash October 21 1969) was an American Novelist, Writer, Poet, and William Seward Burroughs II ( – ˈbʌroʊz was an American Novelist, Essayist, Social critic, painter and Spoken word John Clellon Holmes ( March 12, 1926 - March 30, 1988) born in Holyoke Massachusetts, was a writer poet and professor They bonded because they saw in one another excitement about the potential of the youth of America, a potential which existed outside the strict conformist confines of post-WWII McCarthy-era America. Ginsberg and Carr talked excitedly about a "New Vision" (a phrase adapted from Arthur Rimbaud) for literature and America. "Rimbaud" redirects here For other uses see Rimbaud (disambiguation Jean Nicolas Arthur Rimbaud (ræm'boʊ or in French aʁtyʁ Carr also introduced Ginsberg to Neal Cassady, for whom Ginsberg had a long infatuation. Neal Leon Cassady ( February 8, 1926 &ndash February 4, 1968) was a major personage of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the [4] Kerouac later described the meeting between Ginsberg and Cassady in the first chapter of his 1957 novel On the Road. On the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951 and published by Viking Press in 1957. [2] Kerouac saw them then as the dark (Ginsberg) and light (Cassady) side of their "New Vision. " Kerouac's perception had to do partly with Ginsberg's association with Communism (though Ginsberg himself was never a Communist); Kerouac called Ginsberg "Carlo Marx" in On the Road. This was a source of strain in their relationship since Kerouac grew increasingly distrustful of Communism.

Ginsberg (right) with life-long friend Gregory Corso
Ginsberg (right) with life-long friend Gregory Corso

In 1948 in an apartment in Harlem, Ginsberg had an auditory hallucination of William Blake reading his poems "Ah, Sunflower," "The Sick Rose," and "Little Girl Lost" (later referred to as his "Blake vision"). Gregory Nunzio Corso ( March 26, 1930 &ndash January 17, 2001) was an American Poet, youngest of the inner circle Harlem is a neighborhood in the New York City borough of Manhattan, long known as a major African American cultural and business center William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. The Sick Rose (commonly referred to as O Rose thou art sick) is a poem by William Blake, published in Songs of Experience in 1794 Ginsberg was reading these poems at the time, and he said he was very familiar with them; at one point he claimed he heard them being read by what sounded like the voice of God but what he interpreted as the voice of Blake. He had at that moment pivotal revelations that defined his understanding of the universe. He believed that he witnessed then the interconnectedness of the universe. He looked at lattice work on the fire escape and realized some hand had crafted that; he then looked at the sky and intuited that some hand had crafted that also, or rather that the sky was the hand that crafted itself. He explained that this hallucination was not inspired by drug use, but said he sought to recapture that feeling later with various drugs. [5]

Also in New York, Ginsberg met Gregory Corso in the Pony Stable Bar, one of New York's first openly lesbian bars. Gregory Nunzio Corso ( March 26, 1930 &ndash January 17, 2001) was an American Poet, youngest of the inner circle Corso, recently released from prison, was supported by the Pony Stable patrons and was writing poetry there the night of their meeting. Ginsberg claims he was immediately attracted to Corso, who was straight but understanding of homosexuality after three years in prison. Ginsberg was even more struck by reading Corso's poems, realizing Corso was "spiritually gifted. " Ginsberg introduced Corso to the rest of his inner circle. In their first meeting at the Pony Stable, Corso showed Ginsberg a poem about a woman who lived across the street from him, and sunbathed naked in the window. Amazingly, the woman just happened to be Ginsberg's girlfriend during one of his forays into heterosexuality. Ginsberg and Corso remained life-long friends and collaborators.

It was also during this period that Ginsberg was romantically involved with Elise Cowen. Elise Nada Cowen ( 1933 - February 1 1962, Washington Heights Manhattan) was an American Poet, part of the Beat generation

San Francisco Renaissance

In 1954 in San Francisco, Ginsberg met Peter Orlovsky, with whom he fell in love and who remained his life-long lover, and with whom he eventually shared his interest in Tibetan Buddhism. The City and County of San Francisco is the fourth most populous city Peter Orlovsky (born July 8 1933 on the Lower East Side, New York City) is an American poet best known for his lifelong relationship with Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including

Also in San Francisco Ginsberg met members of the San Francisco Renaissance and other poets who would later be associated with the Beat Generation in a broader sense. Ginsberg's mentor William Carlos Williams wrote an introductory letter to San Francisco Renaissance figurehead Kenneth Rexroth, who then introduced Ginsberg into the San Francisco poetry scene. Kenneth Rexroth ( December 22[[ 905]] &ndash June 6[[ 982]] was an American Poet, Translator and critical Essayist He was among the There, Ginsberg also met three budding poets and Zen enthusiasts who were friends at Reed College: Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Lew Welch. Zen is a school of Mahāyāna Buddhism, referred to in Chinese as Chan. Reed College is a private, independent Liberal arts college located in southeast Portland Oregon. Gary Snyder (born May 8, 1930) is an American Poet (often associated with the Beat Generation Philip Whalen ( October 20, 1923 – June 26, 2002) was an American Poet, Zen Buddhist, and a key Lewis Barrett Welch Jr ( August 16, 1926 — May 1971? is an American poet associated with the Beat generation of poets artists and

Wally Hedrick — a painter and co-founder of the Six Gallery — approached Ginsberg in the summer of 1955 and asked him to organize a poetry reading at the Six Gallery. Wally Bill Hedrick (1928 in Pasadena California - December 17, 2003 in San Francisco, California) was a seminal At first, Ginsberg refused, but once he’d written a rough draft of Howl, he changed his “fucking mind,” as he put it. [6] Ginsberg advertised the event as "Six Poets at the Six Gallery. " One of the most important events in Beat mythos, known simply as "The Six Gallery reading" took place on October 7, 1955. The Six Gallery reading (also known as the Gallery Six reading or Six Angels in the Same Performance) was a poetry-reading ( or Events 3761 BC - The epoch (origin of the modern Hebrew calendar ( Proleptic Julian calendar) Year 1955 ( MCMLV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays the 1955 Gregorian calendar) [7] The event, in essence, brought together the East and West Coast factions of the Beat Generation. Of more personal significance to Ginsberg: that night was the first public reading of "Howl," a poem that brought worldwide fame to Ginsberg and to many of the poets associated with him. An account of that night can be found in Kerouac's novel The Dharma Bums, describing how change was collected from audience members to buy jugs of wine, and Ginsberg reading passionately, drunken, with arms outstretched. Jack Kerouac ( March 12 1922 &ndash October 21 1969) was an American Novelist, Writer, Poet, and This is an article about the novel by Jack Kerouac For the band see Dharma Bums. A taped recording of the reading of 'Howl' that Ginsberg gave at Reed College has recently been rediscovered and appeared on their multimedia website from 9am PST 15 February 2008. Reed College is a private, independent Liberal arts college located in southeast Portland Oregon.

Ginsberg's principal work, "Howl," is well-known for its opening line: "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked. . . . " "Howl" was considered scandalous at the time of its publication, because of the rawness of its language, which is frequently explicit. Shortly after its 1956 publication by San Francisco's City Lights Bookstore, it was banned for obscenity. City The ban became a cause célèbre among defenders of the First Amendment, and was later lifted after Judge Clayton W. A cause célèbre (plural causes célèbres, French famous case) is The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the United States Bill of Rights that expressly prohibits the United States Congress Horn declared the poem to possess redeeming social importance.

Biographical references in "Howl"

Ginsberg claimed at one point that all of his work was an extended biography (like Kerouac's Duluoz Legend). Howl is not only a biography of Ginsberg's experiences before 1955, but a history of the Beat Generation. Ginsberg also later claimed that at the core of Howl were his unresolved emotions about his schizophrenic mother. Though Kaddish deals more explicitly with his mother (so explicitly that a line-by-line analysis would be simultaneously overly-exhaustive and relatively unrevealing), Howl in many ways is driven by the same emotions. Though references in most of his poetry reveal much about his biography, his relationship to other members of the Beat Generation, and his own political views, "Howl," his most famous poem, is still perhaps the best place to start. Howl and Other Poems is a collection of poetry by Allen Ginsberg. See Howl. Howl and Other Poems is a collection of poetry by Allen Ginsberg.

To Paris and the "Beat Hotel"

In 1957, Ginsberg surprised the literary world by abandoning San Francisco. After a spell in Morocco, he and Peter Orlovsky joined Gregory Corso in Paris. Morocco (المغرب "al-Maghrib" officially the Kingdom of Morocco (المملكة المغربية is a country located in North Africa Corso introduced them to a shabby lodging house above a bar at 9 rue Gît-le-Coeur that was to become known as the Beat Hotel. The Beat Hotel was a small run-down hotel of 42 rooms at 9 Rue Gît-le-Cœur in the Latin Quarter of Paris, notable chiefly as a residence for members of the They were soon joined by William Burroughs and others. William Seward Burroughs II ( – ˈbʌroʊz was an American Novelist, Essayist, Social critic, painter and Spoken word It was a productive, creative time for all of them. There, Ginsberg finished his epic poem "Kaddish," Corso composed "Bomb" and "Marriage," and Burroughs (with help from Ginsberg and Corso) put together Naked Lunch, from previous writings. This period was documented by the photographer Harold Chapman, who moved in at about the same time, and took pictures constantly of the residents of the "hotel" until it closed in 1963. Of his background upbringing and childhood years the photographer Harold Stephen Chapman has revealed only that he was “born in Deal on a Saturday morning at 9

Continuing literary activity

Though "Beat" is most accurately applied to Ginsberg and his closest friends (Corso, Orlovsky, Kerouac, Burroughs, etc. ), the term "Beat Generation" has become associated with many of the other poets Ginsberg met and became friends with in the late 1950s and early 1960s. A key feature of this term seems to be a friendship with Ginsberg. Friendship with Kerouac or Burroughs might also apply, but both writers later strove to disassociate themselves from the name "Beat Generation. " Part of their dissatisfaction with the term came from the mistaken identification of Ginsberg as the leader. Ginsberg never claimed to be the leader of a movement. He did, however, claim that many of the writers with whom he had become friends in this period shared many of the same intentions and themes. Some of these friends include: Bob Kaufman; LeRoi Jones before he became Amiri Baraka, who, after reading "Howl," wrote a letter to Ginsberg on a sheet of toilet paper; Diane DiPrima; poets associated with the Black Mountain College such as Robert Creeley and Denise Levertov; poets associated with the New York School such as Frank O'Hara and Kenneth Koch. Bob Kaufman ( April 18, 1925 &ndash January 12, 1986) born Robert Garnell Kaufman, was an American Beat poet Amiri Baraka (born October 7 1934 is an American Writer of Poetry, Drama, essays and Music criticism. Diane di Prima (born August 6 1934 is an American Poet. Biography Early life Di Prima was born in Black Mountain College, founded in 1933 near Asheville North Carolina, was known as one of the leading progressive schools in the United States Robert Creeley ( May 21, 1926 &ndash March 30 2005) was an American Poet and Author of more than sixty books Denise Levertov was a British -born American poet Early life and influences Denise Levertov was born in Ilford, Essex England The New York School (synonymous with abstract expressionist painting was an informal group of American Poets painters Dancers and Musicians Francis Russell O'Hara ( June 27, 1926 – July 25, 1966) was an American poet who along with John Ashbery, James Schuyler Kenneth Koch ( 27 February 1925 – 6 July 2002) was an American poet playwright and professor active from the 1950s until

Portrait with Bob Dylan, taken in 1975
Portrait with Bob Dylan, taken in 1975

Later in his life, Ginsberg formed a bridge between the beat movement of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s, befriending, among others, Timothy Leary, Ken Kesey, Rod McKuen, and Bob Dylan. The Hippie Subculture was originally a Youth movement that began in the United States during the early 1960s and spread around the world Timothy Francis Leary ( October 22, 1920 &ndash May 31, 1996) was an American Writer, Psychologist, Futurist Kenneth Elton Kesey ( September 17, 1935 &ndash November 10, 2001) was an American Author, best known for his major novels Rod McKuen (born April 29, 1933) is a bestselling American Poet, composer and singer instrumental in the revitalization of popular poetry that took place Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major

Buddhism and Krishnaism

Ginsberg's spiritual journey began early on with his spontaneous visions, and continued with an early trip to India and a chance encounter on a New York City street with Chögyam Trungpa Rinpoche (they both tried to catch the same cab), a Tibetan Buddhist meditation master of the Vajrayana school, who became his friend and life-long teacher. India, officially the Republic of India (भारत गणराज्य inc-Latn Bhārat Gaṇarājya; see also other Indian languages) is a country Chögyam Trungpa (February 1939 &ndash April 4, 1987) was a Buddhist Meditation master scholar teacher poet artist and a Trungpa Rinpoche or Rimpoche ( rinˈpotʃe is an honorific title used in Tibetan Buddhism. Tibetan Buddhism is the body of Buddhist religious doctrine and institutions characteristic of Tibet and certain regions of the Himalayas, including Vajrayana Buddhism is also known as Tantric Buddhism, Tantrayāna, Mantrayana, Mantranaya, Secret Mantra, Esoteric Buddhism and Ginsberg helped Trungpa in founding the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado. The Jack Kerouac School was founded at Naropa University in 1974 by Beat Generation poets Allen Ginsberg and Anne Waldman Naropa University is a private Liberal arts University in Boulder, Colorado, the United States, which was founded in 1974 Boulder is a Home Rule Municipality that is the County seat and most populous city of Boulder County, Colorado, in the United States Ginsberg was also involved with Krishnaism. Krishnaism is a term that is often used to describe a number of Hindu religious traditions that are among the Hindu denominations centered on devotion to Radha He befriended A.C. Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada, the founder of the Hare Krishna movement in the Western world, a relationship that is documented by Satsvarupa dasa Goswami in his biographical account 'Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta'. Abhay Charanaravinda Bhaktivedanta Swami Prabhupada ( Sanskrit:, abhaya-caraṇāravinda bhakti-vedānta svāmī prabhupāda, Bangla: অভয়চরনাবিন্দ The Hare Krishna Mantra, also referred to reverentially as the Maha Mantra ("Great Mantra" is a sixteen-word Vaishnava mantra made well Satsvarupa dasa Goswami ( IAST satsvarūpa dāsa gosvāmī Devanagari: sa सत्स्वरूप दास गोस्वामी is a senior [8] Ginsberg donated money, materials, and his reputation to help the Swami establish the first temple, and toured with him to promote his cause. Ginsberg also claimed to be the first person on the North American continent to chant the Hare Krishna mantra. Music and chanting were both important parts of Ginsberg's live delivery during poetry readings. He often accompanied himself on a harmonium, and was often accompanied by a guitarist. A harmonium is a free-standing musical keyboard instrument similar to a Reed Organ or Pipe Organ Attendance to his poetry readings was generally standing room only for most of his career, no matter where in the world he appeared. Allen Ginsberg came in touch with the Hungryalist poets of Bengal, especially Malay Roy Choudhury, who introduced Ginsberg to the three fishes with one head of Indian emperor Jalaluddin Mohammad Akbar. The Hungry Generation was a literary movement in the Bengali language launched by what is known today as the Hungryalist quartet i Etymology and ethnology The exact origin of the word Bangla or Bengal is unknown though it is believed to be derived from the Dravidian-speaking tribe Bang Malay Roy Choudhury (born 1939 is a Bengali poet and Novelist who founded the "Hungryalist Movement" in the 1960s The three fishes symbolised coexistence of all thought,philosophy and religion. [9]

Death

Ginsberg won the National Book Award for his book The Fall of America. A book of poetry by Allen Ginsberg, published by City Lights in 1973 for which Ginsberg won the National Book Award In 1993, the French Minister of Culture awarded him the medal of Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres (the Order of Arts and Letters). The Ordre des Arts et des Lettres (Order of Arts and Literature is an Order of France, established on May 2, 1957 by the Minister

Allen Ginsberg gave what is thought to be his last reading at The Booksmith in San Francisco on December 16, 1996. Founded in 1976 The Booksmith is an Independent bookstore located in the Haight Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. He died on April 5, 1997, surrounded by family and friends in his East Village loft in New York City, succumbing to liver cancer via complications of hepatitis. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar The East Village is a neighborhood in the borough of Manhattan in New York City. The City of New York Hepatitis (plural hepatitides) implies injury to the Liver characterized by the presence of Inflammatory cells in the tissue of He was 70 years old. [1] Ginsberg continued to write through his final illness, with his last poem, "Things I'll Not Do (Nostalgias)," written on March 30. [10]

Ginsberg is buried in his family plot in Gomel Chesed Cemetery, one of a cluster of Jewish cemeteries at the corner of McClellan Street and Mt. Olivet Avenue near the city lines of Elizabeth and Newark, New Jersey. Newark is the largest city in New Jersey, United States and the County seat of Essex County. [11] The family plot, located toward the western edge of the cemetery at the far end of the walk from the third gate along Mt. Olivet Avenue, is marked by a large Ginsberg and Litzky stone, and Ginsberg himself and each family member have smaller markers. Though the grave itself and the cemetery are neither picturesque nor otherwise notable (Ginsberg's grave is located near the rear fence of the flat cemetery, which is in the midst of an industrial area), and it has not become a major place of pilgrimage, there is a steady trickle of visitors as indicated by a handful of stones always on his marker and the occasional book or other item left by other poets and admirers.

Controversial political activism

Ginsberg's willingness to talk about taboo subjects is what made him a controversial figure in the conservative 1950s and a significant figure in the 1960s. But Ginsberg continued to broach controversial subjects throughout the 1970s, '80s, and '90s. When explaining how he approached controversial topics, he often pointed to Herbert Huncke: he said that when he first got to know Huncke in the 1940s, Ginsberg saw that he was sick from his heroin addiction, but at the time heroin was a taboo subject and Huncke was left nowhere to go for help. Herbert Huncke ( January 9, 1915 &ndash August 8, 1996) was a Sub-culture Icon, writer homosexual

Likewise, he continuously attempted to force the world into a dialogue about controversial subjects because he thought that no change could be made in a polite silence.

Allen Ginsberg 1966
Allen Ginsberg 1966

Role in Vietnam War protests

Ginsberg also played a key role in ensuring that a 1965 protest of the Vietnam war, which took place at the Oakland-Berkeley city line and drew several thousand marchers, was not violently interrupted by the California chapter of the notorious motorcycle gang, the Hells Angels, and their leader, Sonny Barger. The Vietnam War, also known as the Second Indochina War, or the Vietnam Conflict, occurred in Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia The Hells Angels Motorcycle Club ( HAMC) is a world-wide " one-percenter " motorcycle gang whose members typically ride Harley-Davidson Ralph Hubert "Sonny" Barger (born October 8, 1938 in Modesto California) is a founding member (1957 of the Oakland, California

The day prior to the scheduled march, the Hell's Angels attacked the front line of a smaller scale protest where a confrontation between police and demonstrators was brewing. The Hell's Angels came in on motorcycles and slashed banners while yelling "Go back to Russia, you fucking communists!" at the protesters. The Hell's Angels then vowed to disrupt the larger protest the next day.

Ginsberg traveled to Barger's home in Oakland to talk the situation through. Oakland (ˈoʊklənd founded in 1852 is the eighth-largest city in the U It is rumored that he offered Barger and other members of the Hell's Angels LSD as a gesture of friendship and goodwill. In the end, Barger and the other Hell's Angels that were present came away deeply impressed by the courage of Ginsberg and his companion Ken Kesey. Kenneth Elton Kesey ( September 17, 1935 &ndash November 10, 2001) was an American Author, best known for his major novels They vowed not to attack the next day's protest march and furthermore deemed Ginsberg a man who was worth helping out. It was shortly after the Tompkins Square Park riots that he was involved in a fracas with the Mentofreeist group and was assaulted by its leader, Vargus Pike, who was arrested. He was later released when Ginsberg, sporting a black eye, refused to press charges.

Relationship to Communism

He talked openly about his connections with Communism and his admiration for past heroes of Communism and the labor movement at a time in America when the Red Scare and McCarthyism were recent memories. Communism is a Socioeconomic structure that promotes the establishment of an egalitarian, classless, stateless Society based McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s McCarthyism is a term describing the intense anti-communist suspicion in the United States in a period that lasted roughly from the late 1940s to the late 1950s Later he travelled to several Communist countries to promote free speech. He claimed Communist countries, China for example, welcomed him in because they thought he was an enemy of Capitalism but often turned against him when they saw him as a trouble maker. Capitalism is the Economic system in which the Means of production are owned by private Persons and operated for Profit and where In his poem "America," written on 17 January 1956 in Berkeley, a line reads "America I used to be a communist when I was a kid I'm not sorry. "America" is a poem by Allen Ginsberg, written in 1956. Events 38 BC - Octavian marries Livia Drusilla. 1287 - King Alfonso III of Aragon invades Minorca Year 1956 ( MCMLVI) was a Leap year starting on Sunday (link will display full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. . . " followed directly by "I smoke marijuana every chance I get. . . . "

In 1965 Ginsberg was deported from Cuba for publicly protesting against Cuba's anti-marijuana stance; ironically Ginsberg admired Castro along with many other quasi-Marxist figures from the 20th century. The Republic of Cuba (ˈkjuːbə or) consists of the island of Cuba (the largest and second-most populous island of the Greater Antilles) Isla de la

The Cubans sent him to Czechoslovakia, where one week after being named the King of a May Day parade, Ginsberg was labeled an "immoral menace" by the Czech government because of his free expression of radical ideas, and was then deported. Czechoslovakia may also refer to what is now the Czech Republic and Slovakia. Many important figures from Communist Bloc countries such as Vaclav Havel point to Ginsberg as an important inspiration to strive for freedom. Václav Havel, GCB, CC, ( (born October 5, 1936) is a Czech Playwright Writer and Politician According to biographer Jonah Raskin, despite his often stark opposition to communist orthodoxy Ginsberg held "his own idiosyncratic version of communism". [12]

In addition, the character of Ginsberg in Jack Kerouac's On the Road is named Carlo Marx, a possible reference to his early beliefs. On the Road is a novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, written in April 1951 and published by Viking Press in 1957.

Gay rights and free speech

One contribution that is often considered his most significant and most controversial was his openness about homosexuality. Homosexuality refers to sexual behavior with or attraction to people of the same sex or to a Homosexual orientation. Ginsberg was an early proponent of freedom for men who loved other men, having already in 1943 discovered within himself "mountains of homosexuality. " He expressed this desire openly and graphically in his poetry. He also struck a note for gay marriage by listing Peter Orlovsky, his lifelong companion, as his spouse in his Who’s Who entry. Later homosexual writers saw his frank talk about homosexuality as an opening to speak more openly and honestly about something often before only hinted at or spoken of in metaphor.

Also, in writing about sexuality in graphic detail and in his frequent use of language seen as indecent he challenged—and ultimately changed—obscenity laws. He was a staunch supporter of others whose expression challenged obscenity laws (William S. Burroughs and Lenny Bruce, for example). Lenny Bruce (October 13 1925 &ndash August 3 1966 born Leonard Alfred Schneider, was an American Stand-up comedian, Writer, social

Association with NAMBLA

Ginsberg also spoke out in defense of the freedom of expression of NAMBLA. The North American Man/Boy Love Association (NAMBLA is a New York City and San Francisco -based unincorporated organization in the United States that Ginsberg stated "I joined NAMBLA in defense of free speech. . . " In "Thoughts on NAMBLA," published in Deliberate Prose, Ginsberg elaborated on these thoughts, stating "NAMBLA's a forum for reform of those laws on youthful sexuality which members deem oppressive, (it is) a discussion society not a sex club. Deliberate Prose - Essays 1952 to 1995 is a collection of essays penned by Allen Ginsberg between the years 1952 to 1995. " Ginsberg expressed the opinion that the appreciation of youthful bodies and "the human form divine" has been a common theme throughout the history of culture, "from Rome's Vatican, to Florence's Uffizi galleries, to New York's Metropolitan Museum of Art," and that laws regarding the issue needed to be more openly discussed.

Demystification of drugs

Ginsberg also talked often about drug use. Throughout the 1960s he took an active role in the demystification of LSD and with Timothy Leary worked to promote its common use. Timothy Francis Leary ( October 22, 1920 &ndash May 31, 1996) was an American Writer, Psychologist, Futurist He was also for many decades an advocate of marijuana legalization, and at the same time warned his audiences against the hazards of tobacco in his Put Down Your Cigarette Rag (Don't Smoke): "Don't Smoke Don't Smoke Nicotine Nicotine No / No don't smoke the official Dope Smoke Dope Dope. Cannabis, also known as marijuana or marihuana, or ganja (from Hindi / Sanskrit: गांजा gānjā hemp) is a "

Career

Though early on he had intentions to be a labor lawyer, Ginsberg wrote poetry for most of his life. Most of his very early poetry was written in formal rhyme and meter like his father or like his idol William Blake. His admiration for the writing of Jack Kerouac inspired him to take poetry more seriously. Jack Kerouac ( March 12 1922 &ndash October 21 1969) was an American Novelist, Writer, Poet, and Though he took odd jobs to support himself, in 1955, upon the advice of a psychiatrist, Ginsberg dropped out of the working world to devote his entire life to poetry. Soon after, he wrote "Howl," the poem that brought him and his friends much fame and allowed him to live as a professional poet for the rest of his life. Howl and Other Poems is a collection of poetry by Allen Ginsberg.

Inspiration from friends

Since Ginsberg's poetry is intensely personal, and since much of the vitality of those associated with the beat generation comes from mutual inspiration, much credit for style, inspiration, and content can be given to Ginsberg's friends.

Ginsberg claimed throughout his life that his biggest inspiration was Kerouac's concept of "spontaneous prose". He believed literature should come from the soul without conscious restrictions. However, Ginsberg was much more prone to revise than Kerouac. For example, when Kerouac saw the first draft of "Howl" he disliked the fact that Ginsberg had made editorial changes in pencil (transposing "negro" and "angry" in the first line, for example). Kerouac only wrote out his concepts of Spontaneous Prose at Ginsberg's insistence because Ginsberg wanted to learn how to apply the technique to his poetry.

An important figure when considering inspiration for "Howl" is Carl Solomon. The full title is "Howl for Carl Solomon. Howl and Other Poems is a collection of poetry by Allen Ginsberg. " Solomon was a Dada and Surrealism enthusiast (he introduced Ginsberg to Artaud) who suffered bouts of depression. For other meanings see Dada (disambiguation DaDa is a Concept album by Alice Cooper, released Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members Antoine Marie Joseph Artaud, better known as Antonin Artaud ( September 4, 1896, in Marseille – March 4, 1948 in Solomon wanted to commit suicide, but he thought a form of suicide appropriate to dadaism would be to go to a mental institution and demand a lobotomy. The institution refused, giving him many forms of therapy, including electroshock therapy. Psychotherapy is an Interpersonal, relational intervention used by trained psychotherapists to aid clients in problems of living Electroconvulsive therapy ( ECT) also known as electroshock, is a controversial psychiatric treatment in which Seizures are electrically induced Much of the final section of the first part of "Howl" is a description of this.

Ginsberg used Solomon as an example of all those ground down by the machine of "Moloch. Moloch, Molech, Molekh, or Molek, representing Hebrew מלך mlk, (translated directly into king is either the name of a " Moloch, to whom the second section is addressed, is a Levantine god to whom children were sacrificed. Ancient Semitic religion spans the Polytheistic religions of the Semitic speaking peoples of the Ancient Near East. Ginsberg may have gotten the name from the Kenneth Rexroth poem "Thou Shalt Not Kill," a poem about the death of one of Ginsberg's heroes, Dylan Thomas. Dylan Marlais Thomas (27 October 1914 – 9 November 1953 was a Welsh poet who wrote exclusively in English But Moloch is mentioned a few times in the Torah and references to Ginsberg's Jewish background are not infrequent in his work. term " Torah " ( Hebrew: תּוֹרָה "teaching" or "instruction" sometimes translated as "Law" most commonly refers to Ginsberg said the image of Moloch was inspired by peyote visions he had of the Francis Drake Hotel in San Francisco which appeared to him as a skull; he took it as a symbol of the city (not specifically San Francisco, but all cities). Lophophora williamsii (loʊˈfɒfərə wɪlˈjæmsiaɪ lō-fof′ŏ-ră will-yăm′sē-ī better known by its common name Peyote, (from the Ginsberg later acknowledged in various publications and interviews that behind the visions of the Francis Drake Hotel were memories of the Moloch of Fritz Lang's film Metropolis (1927) and of the woodcut novels of Lynd Ward. Metropolis is a silent Science fiction film directed by Fritz Lang and written by Lang and Thea von Harbou. Lynd Kendall Ward ( 26 June 1905 &ndash 28 June 1985) was an American Artist and storyteller and son of Methodist [13] Moloch has subsequently been interpreted as any system of control, including the conformist society of post-World War II America focused on material gain, which Ginsberg frequently blamed for the destruction of all those outside of societal norms.

He also made sure to emphasize that Moloch is a part of all of us: the decision to defy socially created systems of control—and therefore go against Moloch—is a form of self-destruction. Many of the characters Ginsberg references in "Howl," such as Neal Cassady and Herbert Huncke, destroyed themselves through excessive substance abuse or a generally wild lifestyle. The personal aspects of "Howl" are perhaps as important as the political aspects. Carl Solomon, the prime example of a "best mind" destroyed by defying society, is associated with Ginsberg's schizophrenic mother: the line "with mother finally ******" comes after a long section about Carl Solomon, and in Part III, Ginsberg says "I'm with you in Rockland where you imitate the shade of my mother. " Ginsberg later admitted that the drive to write "Howl" was fueled by sympathy for his ailing mother, an issue which he was not yet ready to deal with directly. He dealt with it directly with 1959's "Kaddish. "

Inspiration from mentors and idols

Ginsberg's poetry was strongly influenced by Modernism (specifically Ezra Pound, T. S. Eliot, Hart Crane, and most importantly William Carlos Williams), Romanticism (specifically Percy Shelley and John Keats), the beat and cadence of jazz (specifically that of bop musicians such as Charlie Parker), and his Kagyu Buddhist practice and Jewish background. Modernism describes an array of Cultural movements rooted in the changes in Western society in the late nineteenth and early twentieth century Ezra Weston Loomis Pound ( Hailey, Idaho Territory, United States October 30 1885 – Venice, Italy November 1 1972 was an American Expatriate Thomas Stearns Eliot, OM (September 26 1888 – January 4 1965 was a poet Dramatist, and Literary critic. Harold Hart Crane ( July 21, 1899 – April 27, 1932) was an American Poet. William Carlos Williams ( 17 September 1883 &ndash 4 March 1963) was an American poet closely associated with modernism Romanticism is a complex artistic literary and intellectual movement that originated in the second half of the 18th century in Western Europe, and gained strength during the Percy Bysshe Shelley (August 4 1792 – July 8 1822 ˈpɝːsɪ ˈbɪʃ ˈʃɛlɪ was one of the major English Romantic poets and is widely considered to be among Jazz is an American Musical art form which originated in the beginning of the 20th century in African American communities in the Southern United States The Kagyu or Kagyupa school also known as the " Oral Lineage " or Whispered Transmission school is one of four main schools of Himalayan Buddhism is a family of beliefs and practices PLEASE TAKE NOTE************ He considered himself to have inherited the visionary poetic mantle handed down from the English poet and artist William Blake, and the American poet Walt Whitman. William Blake (28 November 1757 – 12 August 1827 was an English poet, painter, and Printmaker. Walter Whitman (May 31 1819 &ndash March 26 1892 was an American poet, Essayist journalist, and humanist. The power of Ginsberg's verse, its searching, probing focus, its long and lilting lines, as well as its New World exuberance, all echo the continuity of inspiration that he claimed. The New World is one of the names used for the non-Eurasian/non-African parts of the Earth specifically the Americas and Australia.

He studied poetry under William Carlos Williams, who was then in the middle of writing his epic poem Paterson about the industrial city near his home. Paterson is a Poem by influential modern American poet William Carlos Williams. Ginsberg, after attending a reading by Williams, sent the older poet several of his poems and wrote an introductory letter. Most of these early poems were rhymed and metered and included archaic pronouns like "thee. " Williams hated the poems. He told Ginsberg later, "In this mode perfection is basic, and these poems are not perfect. "

Though he hated the early poems, Williams loved the exuberance in Ginsberg's letter. He included the letter in a later part of "Paterson. " He taught Ginsberg not to emulate the old masters but to speak with his own voice and the voice of the common American. Williams taught him to focus on strong visual images, in line with Williams' own motto "No ideas but in things. " His time studying under Williams led to a tremendous shift from the early formalist work to the brilliance of his later work. Early breakthrough poems include "Bricklayer's Lunch Hour" and "Dream Record. "

Carl Solomon introduced him to Antonin Artaud ("To Have Done with the Judgement of God" and "Van Gogh: The Man Suicided by Society"), and Jean Genet (Our Lady of the Flowers). Philip Lamantia introduced him to other Surrealists and Surrealism continued to be an influence (for example, sections of Kaddish were inspired by Andre Breton's "Free Union"). Philip Lamantia ( October 23, 1927 - March 7, 2005) was a United States Poet and lecturer Surrealism is a cultural movement that began in the early-1920s and is best known for the visual artworks and writings of the group members André Breton (in French ɑ̃dʀe bʀəˈtɔ̃ ( February 19, 1896 &ndash September 28, 1966) was a French Writer, Ginsberg claimed that the anaphoric repetition of "Howl" and other poems was inspired by Christopher Smart in such poems as "Jubilate Agno. " Ginsberg claims other more traditional influences, such as: Franz Kafka, Herman Melville, Fyodor Dostoevsky, Edgar Allan Poe, and even Emily Dickinson. Herman Melville (August 1 1819 &ndash September 28 1891 was an American novelist Short story writer Essayist and poet Fyodor Mikhailovich Dostoevsky (Фёдор Миха́йлович Достое́вский, sometimes transliterated Dostoyevsky, Dostoievsky, Edgar Allan Poe (January 19 1809 – October 7 1849 was an American poet, short-story Writer, editor and Literary critic,

Ginsberg also made an intense study of haiku and the paintings of Paul Cezanne, from which he adapted a concept important to his work, which he called the "Eyeball Kick. is a form of Japanese poetry. Previously called " He noticed in viewing Cezanne's paintings that when the eye moved from one color to a contrasting color, the eye would spasm, or "kick. A saccade is a fast movement of an eye, head or other part of an animal's body or device " Likewise, he discovered that the contrast of two seeming opposites was a common feature in haiku. Ginsberg used this technique in his poetry, putting together two starkly dissimilar images: something weak with something strong, an artifact of high culture with an artifact of low culture, something holy with something unholy. The example Ginsberg most often used was "hydrogen jukebox" (which later became the title of an opera he wrote with Philip Glass). WikipediaWikiProject Composers#Lead section --> Philip Glass (born January 31 Another example is Ginsberg's observation on Bob Dylan during his hectic and intense 1966 electric tour, fuelled by a cocktail of amphetamines, opiates, alcohol, and psychedelics, as a "Dexedrine Clown. Bob Dylan (born Robert Zimmerman, May 24 1941 in Duluth, Minnesota) is an American singer-songwriter author poet and painter who has been a major Dextroamphetamine is a Psychostimulant which produces increased wakefulness energy and self-confidence in association with decreased fatigue and appetite " The phrases "eyeball kick" and "hydrogen jukebox" both show up in "Howl," as well as a direct quote from Cezanne: "Pater Omnipotens Aeterna Deus. "

Style and technique

From the study of his idols and mentors and the inspiration of his friends—not to mention his own experiments—Ginsberg developed an individualistic style that's easily identified as Ginsbergian. Howl came out during a potentially hostile literary environment less welcoming to poetry outside of tradition; there was a renewed focus on form and structure among academic poets and critics partly inspired by New Criticism (see "Open Form vs. New Criticism was a dominant trend in English and American Literary criticism of the mid twentieth century from the 1920s to the early 1960s Closed Form" in the Beat Generation section). Consequently, Ginsberg often had to defend his choice to break away from traditional poetic structure, often citing Williams, Pound, and Whitman as precursors. Ginsberg's style may have seemed to critics chaotic or unpoetic, but to Ginsberg it was an open, ecstatic expression of thoughts and feelings that were naturally poetic. He believed strongly that traditional formalist considerations were archaic and didn't apply to reality. Though some, Diana Trilling for example, have pointed to Ginsberg's occasional use of meter (for example the anapest of "who came back to Denver and waited in vain"), Ginsberg denied any intention toward meter and claimed instead that meter follows the natural poetic voice, not the other way around; he said, as he learned from Williams, that natural speech is occasionally dactylic, so poetry that imitates natural speech will sometimes fall into a dactylic structure but only ever accidentally. Like Williams, Ginsberg's line breaks were often determined by breath: one line in "Howl," for example, should be read in one breath. Ginsberg claimed he developed such a long line because he had long breaths (saying perhaps it was because he talked fast, or he did yoga, or he was Jewish). The long line could also be traced back to his study of Walt Whitman; Ginsberg claimed Whitman's long line was a dynamic technique few other poets had ventured to develop further. Whitman is often compared to Ginsberg because their poetry sexualized aspects of the male form — though there is no direct evidence Whitman was homosexual. They had very different politics, Whitman being a nationalist and Ginsberg demonstratively anti-nationalist.

Many of his early long line experiments contain some sort of anaphoric repetition, or repetition of a "fixed base" (for example "who" in "Howl," "America" in "America"), and this has become a recognizable feature of Ginsberg's style. In Rhetoric, an anaphora (ἀναφορά "carrying back" is emphasizing words by repeating them at the beginnings of neighboring clauses However, he said later this was a crutch because he lacked confidence in his style; he didn't yet trust "free flight. " In the 60s, after employing it in some sections of Kaddish ("caw" for example) he, for the most part, abandoned the anaphoric repetition.

Several of his earlier experiments with methods for formatting poems as a whole become regular aspects of his style in later poems. In the original draft of "Howl," each line is in a "stepped triadic" format reminiscent of Williams (see "Ivy Leaves," for example). He abandoned the "stepped triadic" when he developed his long line, but the stepped lines showed up later, most significantly in the travelogues of The Fall of America. "Howl" and "Kaddish," arguably his two most important poems, are both organized as an inverted pyramid, with larger sections leading to smaller sections. In "America," he experimented with a mix of longer and shorter lines.

"Lightning's blue glare fills Oklahoma plains, the train rolls east casting yellow shadow on grass Twenty years ago approaching Texas, I saw sheet lightning cover Heaven's corners. . . An old man catching fireflies on the porch at night watched the Herd Boy cross the Milky Way to meet the Weaving Girl. . . How can we war against that?" (From Iron Horse, 1972)

Popular culture

See also

Notes and references

  1. ^ a b c Hampton, Wilborn. The Fugs are a band formed in New York City in 1965 by poets Ed Sanders and Tuli Kupferberg, with Ken Weaver on drums Between 1967 and 1968 several "be-ins" were held in Central Park to protest against various issues such as US involvement in the Vietnam War and The Life and Times of Allen Ginsberg is a 1993 film by Jerry Aronson chronicling the poet Allen Ginsberg 's life from his birth and early childhood Allen Ginsberg Live in London is a film of Allen Ginsberg reading his poetry live on stage and singing and performing a Tibetan meditation in "Allen Ginsberg, Master Poet Of Beat Generation, Dies at 70", New York Times, April 6, 1997. Events 46 BC - Julius Caesar defeats Caecilius Metellus Scipio and Marcus Porcius Cato in the Battle of Thapsus Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar Retrieved on 2008-04-14. 2008 ( MMVIII) is the current year in accordance with the Gregorian calendar, a Leap year that started on Tuesday of the Common Events 43 BC - Battle of Forum Gallorum: Mark Antony, besieging Julius Caesar 's assassin Decimus Junius Brutus in  "Allen Ginsberg was born on June 3, 1926, in Newark and grew up in Paterson, New Jersey, the second son of Louis Ginsberg, a schoolteacher and sometime poet, and the former Naomi Levy, a Russian emigree and fervent Marxist. " 
  2. ^ a b c Charters, Ann. Allen Ginsberg's Life. Modern American Poetry website. Retrieved on 2005-10-20. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony
  3. ^ a b Jones, Bonesy. Biographical Notes on Allen Ginsberg. Biography Project. Retrieved on 2005-10-20. Year 2005 ( MMV) was a Common year starting on Saturday (link displays full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1740 - Maria Theresa takes the throne of Austria. France, Prussia, Bavaria and Saxony
  4. ^ Barry Gifford, ed. , As Ever: The Collected Correspondence of Allen Ginsberg & Neal Cassady.
  5. ^ Miles, Barry. Ginsberg: A Biography. London: Virgin Publishing Ltd. (2001), paperback, 628 pages, ISBN 0-7535-0486-3
  6. ^ Jonah Raskin, American Scream: Allen Ginsberg’s “Howl” and the Making of the Beat Generation.
  7. ^ Siegel, Robert. Birth of the Beat Generation: 50 Years of 'Howl'. Retrieved on 2006-10-02. Year 2006 ( MMVI) was a Common year starting on Sunday of the Gregorian calendar. Events 1187 - Siege of Jerusalem: Saladin captures Jerusalem after 88 years of Crusader rule
  8. ^ Goswami, Satsvarupa dasa (2002), Srila Prabhupada Lilamrta Vol 1-2 (2 nd ed. Satsvarupa dasa Goswami ( IAST satsvarūpa dāsa gosvāmī Devanagari: sa सत्स्वरूप दास गोस्वामी is a senior ), Bhaktivedanta Book Trust, vol. The Bhaktivedanta Book Trust (BBT is the world's largest publisher of books concerning Krishna and the philosophy religion and culture of the Vedic tradition of India 1 1133 pages vol. 2 1191 pages, ISBN 0892133570
  9. ^ [1]
  10. ^ Allen Ginsberg, Collected Poems 1947-1997, p. 1160-1
  11. ^ "Sometimes the Grave Is a Fine and Public Place.", New York Times, March 28, 2004. Events 37 - Roman Emperor Caligula accepts the titles of the Principate, entitled to him by the Senate. "MMIV" redirects here For the Modest Mouse album see " Baron von Bullshit Rides Again " Retrieved on 2007-08-21. Year 2007 ( MMVII) was a Common year starting on Monday of the Gregorian calendar in the 21st century. Events 1192 - Minamoto Yoritomo becomes Seii Tai Shōgun and the De facto ruler of Japan.  "New Jersey is, indeed, a home of poets. Walt Whitman's tomb is nestled in a wooded grove in the Harleigh Cemetery in Camden. Joyce Kilmer is buried in Elmwood Cemetery in New Brunswick, not far from the New Jersey Turnpike rest stop named in his honor. Allen Ginsberg may not yet have a rest stop, but the Beat Generation author of Howl is resting at B'Nai Israel Cemetery in Newark. " 
  12. ^ Raskin, 170
  13. ^ See, for example, Allen Ginsberg, Howl: Original Draft Facsimile, Transcript & Variant Versions, ed. , Barry Miles (New York: Harper, 1986), 139-140. Ward also illustrated a later broadside version of "Howl," which can be seen in the cited pages.
  14. ^ One of the Postbeat Poets, Jim Cohn, also recorded a version of “Lay Down Yr Mountain” on his 1998 CD Unspoken Words (see http://www.poetspath.com/homepage/unspoken_words_index.html). An early 21st Century manifestation of the "outrider" poetic tradition the Postbeat poets have commonalities with the Dadaist, Objectivist poets, Harlem This version, recorded in Boulder, CO in June, 1996, featured Allen Ginsberg on vocals (verses 1 and 7) and harmonium and the following guest bards: Jim Cohn (2), Thomas R. Peters, Jr. (3), Andy Clausen (4), Jack Collom (5) and Anne Waldman (6). The recording was a follow up to Ginsberg’s "Ballad of the Skeletons" and it is believed to be his last recording.

Bibliography

Further Reading

External links


Persondata
NAME Ginsberg, Allen
ALTERNATIVE NAMES Ginsberg, Irwin Allen
SHORT DESCRIPTION poet, activist, essayist
DATE OF BIRTH June 3, 1926
PLACE OF BIRTH Newark, New Jersey
DATE OF DEATH April 5, 1997
PLACE OF DEATH New York City

Events 350 - Roman usurper Nepotianus, of the Constantinian dynasty, proclaims himself Roman Emperor, entering Year 1926 ( MCMXXVI) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar. Events 456 - St Patrick returns to Ireland as a missionary bishop Year 1997 ( MCMXCVII) was a Common year starting on Wednesday (link will display full 1997 Gregorian calendar
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