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Scenes of Life at the Capital
Book by Walen, Philip
- GenresPoetry
74 pages, Paperback
First published January 1, 1971
1 person is currently reading
33 people want to read
About the author
Philip Whalen
88 books15 followersLibrarian Note: There is more than one author with this name in the Goodreads database.
Philip Whalen was born in Portland, Oregon on October 20, 1923. He roomed with future poets Gary Snyder and Lew Welch at Reed College in Oregon.
Whalen did not pursue a career in poetry, but fell into it after Snyder asked him to take part in the famous Six Gallery poetry reading in 1955. A good portrait of Whalen, Snyder's slightly older and chubbier Zen-poet friend, appears in 'The Dharma Bums' by Jack Kerouac (the character's name is Warren Coughlin).
Like Snyder and Kerouac, Whalen took Buddhism very seriously, and also like them he found spiritual enlightenment as a fire lookout in the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. Whalen published many highly respected works of poetry, as well as two novels, "You Didn't Even Try" and "Imaginary Speeches for a Brazen Head". He was ordained as a Zen monk in 1973. He suffered from severe eyesight problems in his later years. He lived as a Buddhist in San Francisco until he died on June 26, 2002.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_...
Philip Whalen was born in Portland, Oregon on October 20, 1923. He roomed with future poets Gary Snyder and Lew Welch at Reed College in Oregon.
Whalen did not pursue a career in poetry, but fell into it after Snyder asked him to take part in the famous Six Gallery poetry reading in 1955. A good portrait of Whalen, Snyder's slightly older and chubbier Zen-poet friend, appears in 'The Dharma Bums' by Jack Kerouac (the character's name is Warren Coughlin).
Like Snyder and Kerouac, Whalen took Buddhism very seriously, and also like them he found spiritual enlightenment as a fire lookout in the Cascade Mountains in the Pacific Northwest. Whalen published many highly respected works of poetry, as well as two novels, "You Didn't Even Try" and "Imaginary Speeches for a Brazen Head". He was ordained as a Zen monk in 1973. He suffered from severe eyesight problems in his later years. He lived as a Buddhist in San Francisco until he died on June 26, 2002.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philip_...
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Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews
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March 16, 2009Penn sound has some great Phillip Whalen readings including a tape of him performing roughly the first half of this incredible book.
www.writing.upenn.edu/pennsound/x/Wha...
Archive.org has many recordings of his Naropa lectures.
May 6, 2019
Still my favourite travel guide to Kyoto.
November 14, 2012
one of my favourite poets of all time. Just got a signed edition of this one. And a Phil Whalen calligraphy piece on handmade paper (stuck inside the book)
Dig it!!!
LOVE IT!!!
Expansive poetry/expansive mind at its very very very best!!!
Dig it!!!
LOVE IT!!!
Expansive poetry/expansive mind at its very very very best!!!
Read
February 1, 2013really liked this book. very funny and specific metaphors. lots and lots or references to obscure radical history and zen shit which it was worth looking up.
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January 7, 2013811.54 W5523s 1971
Displaying 1 - 5 of 5 reviews