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3rd out of 60 books
—
3 voters
Reality Sandwiches
"Scribbled secret notebooks, and wild typewritten pages for yr own joy." Many of Ginsberg's most famous poems.
Wake-up nightmares in Lower East Side, musings in public library, across the U.S. in dream auto, drunk in old Havana, brooding in Mayan ruins, sex daydreams on the West Coast, airplane vision of Kansas, lonely in a leafy cottage, lunch hour on Berkeley, beer notati...more
Wake-up nightmares in Lower East Side, musings in public library, across the U.S. in dream auto, drunk in old Havana, brooding in Mayan ruins, sex daydreams on the West Coast, airplane vision of Kansas, lonely in a leafy cottage, lunch hour on Berkeley, beer notati...more
Paperback, 104 pages
Published
January 1st 2001
by City Lights
(first published 1963)
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better than 'howl', but i'm still slightly unimpressed. in theory, i appreciate his method of presenting purest meat and losing the lettuce. however, he has also lost the bread in his abandonment of so many poetic conventions that (if used well) serve to physically and figuratively tie a poem's contents together-- much like bread, which adds form and flavor to what would otherwise be a damp sloppy pile of food. there are good/great ideas here, but i don't very much dig the way they are served. (...more
Ok so'Howl' and 'Kaddish' (I'm referring to both the individual poems and collections) were far superior to this one; Ginsberg's defintely done better. However, Reality Sandwiches is ,well, reality sandwiches. Each poem is a deeply personal work that takes you into the mind and life of Allen Ginsberg. Considering that this volume was made up of largely uncollected poems that spanded a great deal of time, the quality of the work is what could be called mildly eclectic, and certian pieces are sig...more
A naked lunch is natural to us,
we eat reality sandwiches.
But allegories are so much lettuce.
Don't hide the madness.
The only thing of note here is Ginsberg's use of the term 'hipster' in 1956. It dawned on me that that's what he was and that's why I don't connect with him. It's just very rarely deep and far too often eye-roll-inducing fakery. Fucking hipsters.
we eat reality sandwiches.
But allegories are so much lettuce.
Don't hide the madness.
The only thing of note here is Ginsberg's use of the term 'hipster' in 1956. It dawned on me that that's what he was and that's why I don't connect with him. It's just very rarely deep and far too often eye-roll-inducing fakery. Fucking hipsters.
Definitely worth reading for "The Green Automobile" and "Dream Record". A general knowledge of the beats will explain why. "Siesta in Xbalba" and "On Burroughs' Work" were also good.
"Aether" killed the collection for me, sadly, and brought the rating down. All in all not Ginsberg's best, but still worth looking at for the above mentioned poems.
"Aether" killed the collection for me, sadly, and brought the rating down. All in all not Ginsberg's best, but still worth looking at for the above mentioned poems.
Blessed be the Muses
for their descent,
dancing round my desk,
crowning my balding head
with Laurel.
* * * * *
It took me half of the book to warm up to it, at which point I realized it's home to some major poems, "Aether" being the best. Old Allen peeled back the curtain to let me look at the world anew this past week; for that, this one's a keeper.
for their descent,
dancing round my desk,
crowning my balding head
with Laurel.
* * * * *
It took me half of the book to warm up to it, at which point I realized it's home to some major poems, "Aether" being the best. Old Allen peeled back the curtain to let me look at the world anew this past week; for that, this one's a keeper.
South of the Border stuff from Ginsberg -- typical of most of his work from the 50's. And if you are trying to understand the work of William Burroughs, leave it to Allen to further confuse you.
It doesn't really contain any one "big poem," like Howl and Kaddish, but it has a bunch of really good, less epic-type poems, which makes it a worthwhile read, in my opinion.
I enjoyed this immensely. I think ginsberg in this small selection is like a psychedlic- trails and visuals, flashbacks for later. A lot of soul, angst and fun.
Three stars on the strength of "The Green Automobile" and the line "staggering under the invisible banner of reality". The rest didn't move me much.
Oh ginsberg. You're playful way with words gets me mentally wet. thanx.
Great poetry but I still think Howl is his best book.
Only partly ashamed to say I stole this from a nameless London bookshop when I was about 17. I still love it.
my favourite poemary
oddly erotic
Better than Howl
It was lost on me.
A collection of poems from Ginsberg in fine form. All of them are very unique. Some I adored, some I didn't really understand (I don't know why he had a thing for writing poetry right after dental appointments, but oh well). Evocative, intense and funny.
I plan on reading each of his collections in turn, so I look forward to reading the next one. His diligence in recording when and where he wrote each poem forms an ongoing narrative of his life in verse.
I plan on reading each of his collections in turn, so I look forward to reading the next one. His diligence in recording when and where he wrote each poem forms an ongoing narrative of his life in verse.
Sort of a 3 1/2 star, Ginsberg at his best is amazing, and the title poem is one of my favorite poems, but he likes to make himself vulnerable and expose the process of his writing and eschew polish, so by its very nature, his poetry is a mixed bag.
Not as great as "Howl," but certainly a collection of poetry worth reading.
I don't think I had realized how much effort went into the editing of Ginsberg's other books--"Howl" and "Kaddish" are probably the best examples--until I read this one, which seems to be a loose collection of uncollected stuff. And while there's some very good early work in here, like "American Change," a lot of it spent 25 years uncollected for good reason.
What a lovely concept to make pocket size poetry books you can read on the spur of the moment and pop back into your pocket. It seems a very "1960's" thing to do. The concept of a pocket book of poetry is great for places like New York City where you ride the bus and take trains. but however not as convenient if you don't have public transportaion.
.."rolled a big tire out of the scarlet bushes, hid my marijuana;
wet the flowers, playing the sunlit water each to each,..." is the kind of lines you get to read in 'A Strange New Cottage in Berkeley'. Keeps you mesmerized. Can never understand the feeling of intrigue from its commonplace serendipity. A great collection to have.
wet the flowers, playing the sunlit water each to each,..." is the kind of lines you get to read in 'A Strange New Cottage in Berkeley'. Keeps you mesmerized. Can never understand the feeling of intrigue from its commonplace serendipity. A great collection to have.
Another outstanding collection of poems by one of the most iconic poets of the 20th century !
I love the lively voices of these poems. Aspects of Ginsberg's poetry always strike me as a little smug, but others are so raw and intimate that this is still worth reading.
"a wind-up book of dream notes, psalms, journal enigmas & nude minutes [...]"; actually it's rather a heavily drug induced collection of gibberish.
Not one of my favorite Ginsberg pocket poet books...but it is fun.
A jewel
Jun 17, 2013
Kevin
marked it as to-read
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Irwin Allen Ginsberg was the son of Louis and Naomi Ginsberg, two Jewish members of the New York literary counter-culture of the 1920s. Ginsberg was raised among several progressive political perspectives. A supporter of the Communist party, Ginsberg's mother was a nudist whose mental health was a concern throughout the poet's childhood. According to biographer Barry Miles, "Naomi's illness gave A...more
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