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The Poetry and Life of Allen Ginsberg: A Narrative Poem
The acclaimed chronicle of the life of the great beat poet, finally in paperback--Allen Ginsberg: poet, activist, visionary, soul of the Beat Generation. For many, Ginsberg's powerful and unflinchingly honest poetry empowered the counterculture of the 50s and 60s. In this unsentimental documentary portrait, the celebrated poet Ed Sanders, a Ginsberg contemporary and friend, charts a path through what he calls "Forest Ginsberg," the life and times of one of our century's most popular and controversial literary figures.
256 pages, Paperback
First published July 1, 2000
About the author
Ed Sanders
104 books82 followersEd Sanders is an American poet, singer, social activist, environmentalist, author and publisher. He has been called a bridge between the Beat and Hippie generations.
Sanders was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He dropped out of Missouri University in 1958 and hitchhiked to New York City’s Greenwich Village. He wrote his first major poem, "Poem from Jail," on toilet paper in his cell after being jailed for protesting against nuclear proliferation in 1961.
In 1962, he founded the avant-garde journal, Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts. Sanders opened the Peace Eye Bookstore (147 Avenue A in what was then the Lower East Side), which became a gathering place for bohemians and radicals.
Sanders graduated from New York University in 1964, with a degree in Classics. In 1965, he founded The Fugs with Tuli Kupferberg. The band broke up in 1969 and reformed in 1984.
In 1971, Sanders wrote The Family, a profile of the events leading up to the Tate-LaBianca murders. He obtained access to the Manson Family by posing as a "Satanic guru-maniac and dope-trapped psychopath."
As of 2006, Sanders lives in Woodstock, New York where he publishes the Woodstock Journal with his wife of over 36 years, the writer and painter Miriam R. Sanders. He also invents musical instruments including the Talking Tie, the microtonal Microlyre and the Lisa Lyre, a musical contraption involving light-activated switches and a reproduction of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
Sanders was born in Kansas City, Missouri. He dropped out of Missouri University in 1958 and hitchhiked to New York City’s Greenwich Village. He wrote his first major poem, "Poem from Jail," on toilet paper in his cell after being jailed for protesting against nuclear proliferation in 1961.
In 1962, he founded the avant-garde journal, Fuck You: A Magazine of the Arts. Sanders opened the Peace Eye Bookstore (147 Avenue A in what was then the Lower East Side), which became a gathering place for bohemians and radicals.
Sanders graduated from New York University in 1964, with a degree in Classics. In 1965, he founded The Fugs with Tuli Kupferberg. The band broke up in 1969 and reformed in 1984.
In 1971, Sanders wrote The Family, a profile of the events leading up to the Tate-LaBianca murders. He obtained access to the Manson Family by posing as a "Satanic guru-maniac and dope-trapped psychopath."
As of 2006, Sanders lives in Woodstock, New York where he publishes the Woodstock Journal with his wife of over 36 years, the writer and painter Miriam R. Sanders. He also invents musical instruments including the Talking Tie, the microtonal Microlyre and the Lisa Lyre, a musical contraption involving light-activated switches and a reproduction of Da Vinci's Mona Lisa.
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Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews
August 27, 2013
gedichtsgewijs vind ik het allemaal wel wat teleurstellend maar het idee inspireert en het geeft een interessante vogelvlucht boven ginsberg & the beats - vooral leuk als aanvulling op - of - voor een oja lezing
November 18, 2010
This was an interesting read. Part biography, part poem, part commentary; really catches you in the incredible flow of Ginsberg's life.
January 20, 2013
Enjoyable, but flawed. A decent overview of the life of Allen Ginsberg. For a proper biography, look elsewhere.
January 3, 2012
A brilliant retelling of the life of a brilliant man. A guided tour through 'The Forest Ginsberg.'
Displaying 1 - 4 of 4 reviews