Allen
Ginsberg (1926 - 1997)Allen
Ginsberg (1926 - 1997)Allen Ginsberg was truly a poetic genius in his own way. His poems are mostly freeverse, and often are based loosely around the confusion, disarray, and chaos of modern society and the people who roam it, and many of his poems plunge deeply into the psyche. Some people may say that Ginsberg was crazy, but I don't believe it -- I think he simply understood things that few other people can, and had a gift for putting these thoughts down on paper and expressing them as no one else can. That gift coupled with a wild imagination and a free spirit and impulsivity that you would never find in another person, no matter how hard you looked, is what made Ginsberg such an amazing poet.
He has had over 40 books published and 11 albums produced.
Sadly, Ginsberg died on April 5, 1997 from inoperable liver
cancer. He gave the world a great gift, and he will be missed. I only
wish we could have known him better.
Click here to
read messages from a mail group dating to immediately before and
after his death.
Just to give you a quick sample of what his work is like, here is probably his most famous poem, "Howl", written in 1956.
Here is another poem of his which I love:
"Cleveland,
the Flats"
Another popular one:
"The
Lion for Real"
If you would like to view more of Allen Ginsberg's works, learn more about his life, read articles and tributes, or look at photos and interviews, click to go to Allen Ginsberg: Shadow Changes Into Bone (GINZY.COM), the largest central place for information on Allen Ginsberg on the World Wide Web. Other Allen Ginsberg sites are listed at the bottom of this page.
"OCCASIONALLY THERE COMES A TALENT so big and ripe, so robust and undeniable, that arrogance is as foreign to it as mediocrity. Then the undeserving world receives a gift. Judging by the tribute sites spreading like wildfire through the web, the wired are among those who treasured Allen Ginsberg for the rare artist that he was. Some, we think, discovered their affection for the Dharma Lion only after he died this spring -- but better late to the feast than absent, we say. And such sudden conversions certainly beat all hollow the unreasoning hatred exemplified by the pettiness-in-print of George Will (that ill-mannered little man), who took the occasion of the poet's death to crow over an ideological enemy's body. Most of the literate world had better sense, however, and the words in praise of a generous spirit and a seminal talent far outweigh those of the small-minded followers of Mr. Will's intellectually bankrupt political camp. For those with the wit to know genius when they hear it sung, here's a small sampling of Ginsberg sites and tributes. There are many more, and the sites selected here will point you to them."
Allen Ginsberg: Shadow Changes Into Bone -- "The Clearinghouse for All Things Ginsberg"
SCRAP LEAVES by Allen Ginsberg: Little Poems -- Allen's 1968 manuscript in hypertext for the inspiration of poets and curious scholars
Bibliography of writings about Allen Ginsberg
Politics, Poetry, and Inspiration: An Introduction to Allen Ginsberg