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Mishaps, Perhaps
Carl Solomon is considered to be one of the Beat Generation writers.
- GenresPoetry
60 pages, Paperback
First published June 1, 1966
2 people are currently reading
280 people want to read
About the author
Carl Solomon
8 books15 followersCarl Solomon (March 30, 1928 – February 26, 1993) was an American writer.
Solomon was born in the New York City borough of the Bronx. His father's death in 1939 profoundly affected his early life. Solomon later said, "I drifted into indiscipline and intellectual adventure that eventually became complete confusion." Graduating from high school at 15, Solomon attended the City College of New York (CCNY) for a short time before joining the United States Maritime Service in 1944. In his travels overseas, Solomon was exposed to Surrealism and Dada, which inspired him throughout his life. In Paris, he witnessed Antonin Artaud give a screaming poetry reading. This so impressed him that he remained a disciple of Artaud for much of his life. It was shortly after this period that Solomon was voluntarily institutionalized, a gesture he made as a Dadaist symbol of defeat.
Solomon first met Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the waiting room of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Ginsberg later dedicated his poem Howl to Solomon. The poem's third section uses the refrain "I'm with you in Rockland", an institution Solomon never attended. Solomon had many complaints about Ginsberg and Howl, including that he was "never in Rockland" and that the third section of the poem "garbles history completely". The reference to Rockland appears to be a poetic fabrication. Ginsberg likely used the name because it was more appropriate and emphatic than "New York State Hospital" or "Pilgrim" (Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, another psychiatric hospital Solomon was admitted to). The poem's first section immortalizes a few of Solomon's personal exploits, such as the line "who threw potato salad at CCNY lecturers on Dadaism and subsequently presented themselves on the granite steps of the madhouse with shaven heads and harlequin speech of suicide, demanding instantaneous lobotomy."
It was at Ginsberg's insistence that William S. Burroughs's first novel, Junkie, was published by Ace Books. Solomon's uncle, Aaron A. Wyn, owned Ace Books, a purveyor of pulp fiction and nonfiction paperbacks. Solomon worked for Ace and was responsible for the Publisher's Note in the first printing of Junkie, as well as the Introduction to the 1964 reprinting.
One of Solomon's best-known pieces of writing is Report from the Asylum: Afterthoughts of a Shock Patient. It is an account of the electroconvulsive therapy used to treat patients in asylums, drawn directly from personal experience. It was written with Artaud somewhat in mind, because he had received the same treatment while unjustly institutionalized by the French government. The piece was included in the 50th-anniversary Howl
In the late 1960s, Solomon published two chapbooks of prose poetry with Mary Beach's Beach Books, Texts & Documents, distributed by City Lights Books: Mishaps, Perhaps (1966) and More Mishaps (1968). Emergency Messages (1989) features selections from the two books along with some of Solomon's other autobiographical, critical and poetic writings. He was a frequent contributor to New Directions Annual, American Book Review, and The New Leader.
Solomon was born in the New York City borough of the Bronx. His father's death in 1939 profoundly affected his early life. Solomon later said, "I drifted into indiscipline and intellectual adventure that eventually became complete confusion." Graduating from high school at 15, Solomon attended the City College of New York (CCNY) for a short time before joining the United States Maritime Service in 1944. In his travels overseas, Solomon was exposed to Surrealism and Dada, which inspired him throughout his life. In Paris, he witnessed Antonin Artaud give a screaming poetry reading. This so impressed him that he remained a disciple of Artaud for much of his life. It was shortly after this period that Solomon was voluntarily institutionalized, a gesture he made as a Dadaist symbol of defeat.
Solomon first met Beat poet Allen Ginsberg in the waiting room of the New York State Psychiatric Institute. Ginsberg later dedicated his poem Howl to Solomon. The poem's third section uses the refrain "I'm with you in Rockland", an institution Solomon never attended. Solomon had many complaints about Ginsberg and Howl, including that he was "never in Rockland" and that the third section of the poem "garbles history completely". The reference to Rockland appears to be a poetic fabrication. Ginsberg likely used the name because it was more appropriate and emphatic than "New York State Hospital" or "Pilgrim" (Pilgrim Psychiatric Center, another psychiatric hospital Solomon was admitted to). The poem's first section immortalizes a few of Solomon's personal exploits, such as the line "who threw potato salad at CCNY lecturers on Dadaism and subsequently presented themselves on the granite steps of the madhouse with shaven heads and harlequin speech of suicide, demanding instantaneous lobotomy."
It was at Ginsberg's insistence that William S. Burroughs's first novel, Junkie, was published by Ace Books. Solomon's uncle, Aaron A. Wyn, owned Ace Books, a purveyor of pulp fiction and nonfiction paperbacks. Solomon worked for Ace and was responsible for the Publisher's Note in the first printing of Junkie, as well as the Introduction to the 1964 reprinting.
One of Solomon's best-known pieces of writing is Report from the Asylum: Afterthoughts of a Shock Patient. It is an account of the electroconvulsive therapy used to treat patients in asylums, drawn directly from personal experience. It was written with Artaud somewhat in mind, because he had received the same treatment while unjustly institutionalized by the French government. The piece was included in the 50th-anniversary Howl
In the late 1960s, Solomon published two chapbooks of prose poetry with Mary Beach's Beach Books, Texts & Documents, distributed by City Lights Books: Mishaps, Perhaps (1966) and More Mishaps (1968). Emergency Messages (1989) features selections from the two books along with some of Solomon's other autobiographical, critical and poetic writings. He was a frequent contributor to New Directions Annual, American Book Review, and The New Leader.
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Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
June 27, 2018
Mishaps Perhaps shows me that Carl is just about the guy I thought he'd be. A disillusioned dadaist looking about sadly in both societal chains & self chains, though both of them really quite imaginary. I'm not sure I'm 'taking away' much more than that, though I do enjoy his nutty rambling (which, really, it is).
I admire his striving for some kind of personal understanding of or relationship with Reality.
I admire his striving for some kind of personal understanding of or relationship with Reality.
November 28, 2024
Beat literature is not one thing. This particular incomprehensible writing branch of the legendary genre was not my cup of tea. I'm sure Solomon was a fascinating character and wrote brilliantly and that people close to him were mesmerized by his original prose but to a guy across the globe reading this 60 years later... little meaning survives.
November 15, 2011
This was one the hardest books I have ever tried to find. After hearing the name, Carl Solomon, spoken in reverential tones between the pseudo-intellectuals I have had the misfortune to moonlight with in my lifetime, I finally found a copy of this book in a used bookstore in Hollywood, Florida. What is contains is a series of rants, poems and poetic rants. They are fantastic, there is no doubt, albeit it is difficult to fathom how influential Solomon was to his friends or how influential his friends were to Solomon. I will take the high road and speculate that these are products of the creative soup from which all the beats imbibed and are no more nor less derivative than the works of Ginsberg or Ferlinghetti. Solomon's work distinguishes itself from that of his contemporaries by being a bit more hectic. There is an urgency to his writings that is missing from the more languid pace of Kerouac. It is also, quite humorous. In "Pilgrim State Hospital" we are treated to a semi-schizophrenic scene which implicates both politics and religion when the narrator states, "Kennedy seems quite human after all that has occurred. Maybe he will
restore some kind of dignity to my life. He has begun already. He appointed a Jew to the Cabinet". This kind of candidacy typifies many of the works of the beat generation with its "general throwing-out of the rules" with regards to poetry. I believe this is a crucial aspect of what makes these stories and poems engaging. I may try experimenting with contemporaneously derivative material in my work sometimes soon.
restore some kind of dignity to my life. He has begun already. He appointed a Jew to the Cabinet". This kind of candidacy typifies many of the works of the beat generation with its "general throwing-out of the rules" with regards to poetry. I believe this is a crucial aspect of what makes these stories and poems engaging. I may try experimenting with contemporaneously derivative material in my work sometimes soon.
November 8, 2022
Enter the fragmented reality of broken Dadaist or recovering Dadaist. This was certainly something like I’ve never read before. I honestly struggled to maintain my attention throughout, but I am glad I read it for historical purposes, but wouldn’t recommend to anyone else who isn’t deeply interested in the history of the beats. I was happy to find the text did contain the piece entitled “Report from the Asylum: Afterthoughts of a Shock Patient” which provides rare insight into the experience that Carl Solomon underwent in the mental asylum undertaking insulin shock and electric shock therapy.
Unfathomable to imagine… the man went into over 50 insulin induced comas.
Also gives one clarity and insight into the conditions that bred Ginsbergs HOWL. Because Ginsberg was a patient alongside Solomon at the asylum and hence why HOWL is famously dedicated to Carl Solomon.
Overall, this text reminded me of a mixture of random journal entries - poems, to observations, to letters to doctors/politicians, forwards to other authors books and also outlines for future books.
One thing I did really liked about the text is there was a flood of reference to other authors that I had never heard of, I counted a total of 15.
All that said, I do look forward to reading his other 2 subsequent works published by City Lights.
Unfathomable to imagine… the man went into over 50 insulin induced comas.
Also gives one clarity and insight into the conditions that bred Ginsbergs HOWL. Because Ginsberg was a patient alongside Solomon at the asylum and hence why HOWL is famously dedicated to Carl Solomon.
Overall, this text reminded me of a mixture of random journal entries - poems, to observations, to letters to doctors/politicians, forwards to other authors books and also outlines for future books.
One thing I did really liked about the text is there was a flood of reference to other authors that I had never heard of, I counted a total of 15.
All that said, I do look forward to reading his other 2 subsequent works published by City Lights.
June 30, 2022
Fall, 1948. Allen Ginsberg is in the New York State Psychiatric Institute. While there, he meets another patient, Carl Solomon (Solomon: “Who are you?” Ginsberg: “I’m Myshkin.” Solomon: “I’m Kirilov.”)
1955. Ginsberg writes “Howl,” dedicating it to Solomon.
1966. Solomon’s Mishaps, Perhaps appears. In it, Solomon describes his experiences in the asylum, discusses insulin shock treatment, and comments on suicide, Modern French and American literature, modern dance and chess.
Acquired May 2000
The Word, Montreal, Quebec
1955. Ginsberg writes “Howl,” dedicating it to Solomon.
1966. Solomon’s Mishaps, Perhaps appears. In it, Solomon describes his experiences in the asylum, discusses insulin shock treatment, and comments on suicide, Modern French and American literature, modern dance and chess.
Acquired May 2000
The Word, Montreal, Quebec
July 19, 2011
One of my favorite, favorite, favorite books of all time. Everyone should read this marvelous book, and then try to emulate it in their own art or in their own life, or something.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews