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Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note
Pamphlet Paperback.
- GenresPoetry20th Century
47 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1961
8 people are currently reading
682 people want to read
About the author
Amiri Baraka
154 books395 followersPoems and plays, such as
Dutchman
(1964), of American writer Amiri Baraka originally Everett LeRoi Jones focus on racial conflict.
He attended Barringer high school. Coyt Leverette Jones, his father, worked as a postal supervisor and lift operator. Anna Lois Russ Jones, his mother, worked as a social worker.
He studied at Rutgers, Columbia, and Howard universities but left without a degree and attended the new school for social research. He won a scholarship to Rutgers in 1951, but a continuing sense of cultural dislocation prompted him to transfer in 1952 to Howard. He studied philosophy and religion, major fields. Jones also served three years in the air force as a gunner. Jones continued his studies of comparative literature at Columbia University. An anonymous letter accused him as a Communist to his commanding officer and led to the discovery of Soviet literature; afterward, people put Jones on gardening duty and gave him a dishonorable discharge for violation of his oath of duty.
In the same year, he moved to Greenwich Village and worked initially in a warehouse for music records. His interest in jazz began in this period. At the same time, he came into contact with Beat Generation, black mountain college, and New York School. In 1958, he married Hettie Cohen and founded Totem Press, which published such Beat Generation icons as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
Jones in July 1960 visited with a delegation of Cuba committee and reported his impressions in his essay Cuba libre . He began a politically active art. In 1961, he published Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note , a first book. In 1963, Blues People: Negro Music in White America of the most influential volumes of criticism, especially in regard to the then beginning free jazz movement, followed. His acclaimed controversy premiered and received an Obie Award in the same year.
After the assassination of Malcolm X (1965), Jones left his wife and their two children and moved to Harlem. His controversial revolutionary and then antisemitic.
In 1966, Jones married Sylvia Robinson, his second wife, who later adopted the name Amina Baraka. In 1967, he lectured at San Francisco State University. In 1967, he adopted the African name Imamu Amear Baraka, which he later changed to Amiri Baraka.
In 1968, he was arrested in Newark for allegedly carrying an illegal weapon and resisting arrest during the riots of the previous year, and people subsequently sentenced him to three years in prison; shortly afterward, Raymond A. Brown, his defense attorney, convinced an appeals court to reverse the sentence. In that same year, Black Music, his second book of jazz criticism, collected previously published music journalism, including the seminal Apple Cores columns from Down Beat magazine. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Baraka penned some similar strongly anti-Jewish articles to the stance at that time of the Nation of Islam to court controversy.
Around 1974, Baraka himself from Black nationalism as a Marxist and a supporter of third-world liberation movements. In 1979, he lectured at Africana studies department of State University of New York at Stony Brook. In 1980, he denounced his former anti-Semitic utterances, declaring himself an anti-Zionist.
In 1984, Baraka served as a full professor at Rutgers University, but was subsequently denied tenure. In 1989, he won a book award for his works as well as a Langston Hughes award.
In 1990, he co-authored the autobiography of Quincy Jones, and 1998 , he served as supporting actor in Bulworth, film of Warren Beatty. In 1996, the red hot organization produced Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, and Baraka contributed to this acquired immune def
He attended Barringer high school. Coyt Leverette Jones, his father, worked as a postal supervisor and lift operator. Anna Lois Russ Jones, his mother, worked as a social worker.
He studied at Rutgers, Columbia, and Howard universities but left without a degree and attended the new school for social research. He won a scholarship to Rutgers in 1951, but a continuing sense of cultural dislocation prompted him to transfer in 1952 to Howard. He studied philosophy and religion, major fields. Jones also served three years in the air force as a gunner. Jones continued his studies of comparative literature at Columbia University. An anonymous letter accused him as a Communist to his commanding officer and led to the discovery of Soviet literature; afterward, people put Jones on gardening duty and gave him a dishonorable discharge for violation of his oath of duty.
In the same year, he moved to Greenwich Village and worked initially in a warehouse for music records. His interest in jazz began in this period. At the same time, he came into contact with Beat Generation, black mountain college, and New York School. In 1958, he married Hettie Cohen and founded Totem Press, which published such Beat Generation icons as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg.
Jones in July 1960 visited with a delegation of Cuba committee and reported his impressions in his essay Cuba libre . He began a politically active art. In 1961, he published Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note , a first book. In 1963, Blues People: Negro Music in White America of the most influential volumes of criticism, especially in regard to the then beginning free jazz movement, followed. His acclaimed controversy premiered and received an Obie Award in the same year.
After the assassination of Malcolm X (1965), Jones left his wife and their two children and moved to Harlem. His controversial revolutionary and then antisemitic.
In 1966, Jones married Sylvia Robinson, his second wife, who later adopted the name Amina Baraka. In 1967, he lectured at San Francisco State University. In 1967, he adopted the African name Imamu Amear Baraka, which he later changed to Amiri Baraka.
In 1968, he was arrested in Newark for allegedly carrying an illegal weapon and resisting arrest during the riots of the previous year, and people subsequently sentenced him to three years in prison; shortly afterward, Raymond A. Brown, his defense attorney, convinced an appeals court to reverse the sentence. In that same year, Black Music, his second book of jazz criticism, collected previously published music journalism, including the seminal Apple Cores columns from Down Beat magazine. In the late 1960s and early 1970s, Baraka penned some similar strongly anti-Jewish articles to the stance at that time of the Nation of Islam to court controversy.
Around 1974, Baraka himself from Black nationalism as a Marxist and a supporter of third-world liberation movements. In 1979, he lectured at Africana studies department of State University of New York at Stony Brook. In 1980, he denounced his former anti-Semitic utterances, declaring himself an anti-Zionist.
In 1984, Baraka served as a full professor at Rutgers University, but was subsequently denied tenure. In 1989, he won a book award for his works as well as a Langston Hughes award.
In 1990, he co-authored the autobiography of Quincy Jones, and 1998 , he served as supporting actor in Bulworth, film of Warren Beatty. In 1996, the red hot organization produced Offbeat: A Red Hot Soundtrip, and Baraka contributed to this acquired immune def
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Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews
August 22, 2011
I have something of a love/hate relationship with the work of Amiri Baraka, or Leroi Jones, as he was still known when he wrote this, his first volume of poetry. I'm sure that Mr. Baraka would consider me old-fashioned and reactionary because I consider this beautiful book to be his best work.
To get the negative out of the way - after this book, Baraka's work became increasingly militant. That's quite understandable, given our country's deplorable treatment of African-Americans and other minorities. But this militancy hurt his writing - he produced manifestos rather than poems, raised fists instead of plays, lines in the sand rather than jazz criticism. And the anti-semitism that started showing up in his writing in the 1960's frankly horrifies me.
But there is none of that in Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note. Baraka draws on Beat culture, black culture, pop culture (including old-time radio and comic books), and jazz to create a complex world, full of uncertainty and ambiguity. One of the best poems here is "Look For You Yesterday, Here You Come Today," which is a line from an old blues. It begins:
Part of my charm:
And ends four pages later with:
My silver bullets all gone
My black mask trampled in the dust
& Tonto way off in the hills
moaning like Bessie Smith.
I don't know what Baraka currently thinks of the title poem - it's the most sentimental thing he's ever written, and it's a wonderful poem. I can't read it without getting a lump in my throat. I'm willing to overlook a lot for a poem like this.
To get the negative out of the way - after this book, Baraka's work became increasingly militant. That's quite understandable, given our country's deplorable treatment of African-Americans and other minorities. But this militancy hurt his writing - he produced manifestos rather than poems, raised fists instead of plays, lines in the sand rather than jazz criticism. And the anti-semitism that started showing up in his writing in the 1960's frankly horrifies me.
But there is none of that in Preface to a Twenty Volume Suicide Note. Baraka draws on Beat culture, black culture, pop culture (including old-time radio and comic books), and jazz to create a complex world, full of uncertainty and ambiguity. One of the best poems here is "Look For You Yesterday, Here You Come Today," which is a line from an old blues. It begins:
Part of my charm:
envious blues feeling
separation of church & state
grim calls from drunk debutantes
And ends four pages later with:
My silver bullets all gone
My black mask trampled in the dust
& Tonto way off in the hills
moaning like Bessie Smith.
I don't know what Baraka currently thinks of the title poem - it's the most sentimental thing he's ever written, and it's a wonderful poem. I can't read it without getting a lump in my throat. I'm willing to overlook a lot for a poem like this.
July 28, 2024
love/hate relationship (chyba nie zostałam stworzona do przyswajania poezji…)
May 13, 2025
Simply some of if not the best poetry I’ve ever read. Never read something so technically explorative yet so obviously intentional. Beat poetry but way way smarter. So incredibly evocative, almost exhausting to read in the absolute best way. Thank u flockinson
March 29, 2021
Although I am not a huge poetry fan, this short collection from Amiri Baraka was a worthwhile read, especially as I am interested in works engaging Black liberation (this is a historical account).
March 26, 2015
Beautiful small collection of early poetry by Amiri Baraka, back when he was still Leroi Jones.
Published in 1961, these poems, while well written, thought provoking, and elegant, seem a bit by the book. It's as if in 1961 Baraka was still trying to find his own voice. Especially heartbreaking and rereadable are the poems for his then wife, Hettie Jones.
An excellent read and important work from one of America's most important mid 20th century poets.
Published in 1961, these poems, while well written, thought provoking, and elegant, seem a bit by the book. It's as if in 1961 Baraka was still trying to find his own voice. Especially heartbreaking and rereadable are the poems for his then wife, Hettie Jones.
An excellent read and important work from one of America's most important mid 20th century poets.
April 18, 2018
It wasn’t that good but also it’s Amiri Baraka and Amiri Baraka’s not that good is way better than anyone else’s.
February 25, 2025
4.5– negative .5 for homophobia.
This book is really really good tho. Like really quite good. It’s tortured Baraka (like the dead lecturer) with an overbearing and somehow really beautiful intensity. The poems unfold so incredibly. The clearing was incredible in so many ways. He reaches so many timespaces in his ramblings and so u can go from adoration to disgust in literally 2 lines. As someone who has read hetties writings—things become a little clearer. Both how she describes his writing prowess but also their extremely intense and highly AcapitalAffect life. The poems are arranged well and really hit a high run in the middle (to a publisher, the bridge, vice, the clearing). It’s silly to say at the end of all this but I think what I appreciate the most (and seeing how this develops in everything he publishes after this) is his use of misspelled words (lincun, thot, evol. Etc) and the way he uses musicrhythm tempos. It’s a pleasure to read aloud. Ofc I didn’t understand 75% of the invocations—mostly the names—but it still reads so well. Will re read many a more times. One sitting.
This book is really really good tho. Like really quite good. It’s tortured Baraka (like the dead lecturer) with an overbearing and somehow really beautiful intensity. The poems unfold so incredibly. The clearing was incredible in so many ways. He reaches so many timespaces in his ramblings and so u can go from adoration to disgust in literally 2 lines. As someone who has read hetties writings—things become a little clearer. Both how she describes his writing prowess but also their extremely intense and highly AcapitalAffect life. The poems are arranged well and really hit a high run in the middle (to a publisher, the bridge, vice, the clearing). It’s silly to say at the end of all this but I think what I appreciate the most (and seeing how this develops in everything he publishes after this) is his use of misspelled words (lincun, thot, evol. Etc) and the way he uses musicrhythm tempos. It’s a pleasure to read aloud. Ofc I didn’t understand 75% of the invocations—mostly the names—but it still reads so well. Will re read many a more times. One sitting.
August 21, 2022
This is a very intriguing, elusive, and brief collection of beat rhythms. You can feel the later modes of Nathaniel Mackey and Fred Moten in Baraka's approach to rhyming. In tone, its a pretty depressive collection, not surprising, given the title, and many lines remind of Rufus Scott, from Baldwin's Another Country (published a year later), or maybe any of Charles Wright's novels. Most of the subject matter, aside from perhaps, "To a Publisher… Cut-Out,” is very divorced from the voice most would associate with Baraka, speaking to his expansive legacy. With “Notes for a Speech,” Baraka begins his tilt towards more overt race and class commentary, which would be extended in the following volume, The Dead Lecturer. That second offering presents a huge leap in quality, but this is still worth the time, just to see the starting point for a great writer.
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December 16, 2020an always favorite. weird to come back to this time and again and have it so shot thru with nostalgia that I'm sitting on the pavement w/ a paleta, mind racked by the present. a mood, i guess, in common with the poems here. single lines that jumped out at me this time:
"This is not rage. (I am not that beautiful!)"
and of course:
"You are / as any other sad man here / american."
"This is not rage. (I am not that beautiful!)"
If they
leave their brittle selves behind (our time's
a cruel one.
Children
of winter. (I cross myself
like religion
Children
of a cruel time. (the wind
stirs the bones
& they drag clumsily
thru the cold.)
These children
are older than their words,
and cannot dance.
and of course:
"You are / as any other sad man here / american."
July 28, 2007
inspirational!
Displaying 1 - 10 of 10 reviews