Collected Poems

by Allen Ginsberg

This is the only volume to bring together all of Allen Ginsberg's published verse in its entirety, celebrating half a century of brilliant work from one of America's greatest poets. Presented chronologically, it sets Ginsberg's verse against the story of his extraordinary life: from his most famous landmark works 'Howl' and 'Kaddish' to the poems of White Shroud and Cosmopolitan Greetings, and on to his later writings such as the caustically funny 'Death and Fame', the provocative 'New Democracy Wish List' and the elegiac 'Things I'll Not Do (Nostalgia)'.

Ginsberg, as chief figure among the Beats, fomented a social and political revolution, yet his groundbreaking verse also changed the course of American poetry with its freewheeling spontaneity, rawness, honesty and energy. Also containing illustrations by Ginsberg's artist friends, illuminating notes to the poems, original prefaces and photographs, this is the essential record of one of the most influential voices in twentieth century poetry.

Genres: Poetry, Classics, Fiction, Literature, American, Queer, 20th Century

1194 pages, Kindle Edition

First published January 1, 2006

About the author

Allen Ginsberg was a groundbreaking American poet and activist best known for his central role in the Beat Generation and for writing the landmark poem Howl. Born in 1926 in Newark, New Jersey, to Jewish parents, Ginsberg grew up in a household shaped by both intellectualism and psychological struggle. His father, Louis Ginsberg, was a published poet and a schoolteacher, while his mother, Naomi, suffered from severe mental illness, which deeply affected Ginsberg and later influenced his writing—most notably in his poem Kaddish.
As a young man, Ginsberg attended Columbia University, where he befriended other future Beat luminaries such as Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, and Neal Cassady. These relationships formed the core of what became known as the Beat Generation—a loose-knit group of writers and artists who rejected mainstream American values in favor of personal liberation, spontaneity, spiritual exploration, and radical politics.
Ginsberg rose to national prominence in 1956 with the publication of Howl and Other Poems, released by City Lights Books in San Francisco. Howl, an emotionally charged and stylistically experimental poem, offered an unfiltered vision of America’s underbelly. It included candid references to homosexuality, drug use, and mental illness—subjects considered taboo at the time. The poem led to an obscenity trial, which ultimately concluded in Ginsberg’s favor, setting a precedent for freedom of speech in literature.
His work consistently challenged social norms and addressed themes of personal freedom, sexual identity, spirituality, and political dissent. Ginsberg was openly gay at a time when homosexuality was still criminalized in much of the United States, and he became a vocal advocate for LGBTQ+ rights throughout his life. His poetry often intertwined the personal with the political, blending confessional intimacy with a broader critique of American society.
Beyond his literary achievements, Ginsberg was also a dedicated activist. He protested against the Vietnam War, nuclear proliferation, and later, U.S. foreign policy in Latin America. He was present at many pivotal cultural and political moments of the 1960s and 1970s, including the 1968 Democratic National Convention and various countercultural gatherings. His spiritual journey led him to Buddhism, which deeply influenced his writing and worldview. He studied under Tibetan teacher Chögyam Trungpa and helped establish the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University in Boulder, Colorado.
Ginsberg’s later years were marked by continued literary output and collaborations with musicians such as Bob Dylan and The Clash. His poetry collections, including Reality Sandwiches, Planet News, and The Fall of America, were widely read and respected. He received numerous honors for his work, including the National Book Award for Poetry in 1974.
He died of liver cancer in 1997 at the age of 70. Today, Allen Ginsberg is remembered not only as a pioneering poet, but also as a courageous voice for free expression, social justice, and spiritual inquiry. His influence on American literature and culture remains profound and enduring.

Reviews

[☘Misericordia☘ ⚡ϟ⚡⛈⚡☁ ❇️❤❣ · Rating 2 out of 5]

Some of these are wonderful. Others are atrocious. So, I can't really make up my mind on whether I want to trash it or put it on the favourites shelf...

Wonderfulness!
Q:
Psalm 1

These psalms are the workings of the vision haunted mind and not that reason which never changes.
I am flesh and blood, but my mind is the focus of much lightning.
I change with the weather, with the state of my finances, with the work I do, with my company.
But truly none of these is accountable for the majestic flaws of mind which have left my brain open to hallucination.
All work has been an imitation of the literary cackle in my head.
This gossip is an eccentric document to be lost in a library and rediscovered when the Dove descends. (c)

Q:
An Eastern Ballad

I speak of love that comes to mind:
The moon is faithful, although blind;
She moves in thought she cannot speak.
Perfect care has made her bleak.

I never dreamed the sea so deep,
The earth so dark; so long my sleep,
I have become another child.
I wake to see the world go wild. (c)

Q:
Milk my mind &make me cream (c)


Weirdness.
Is About
Dylan is about the Individual against the whole of creation
Beethoven is about one man’s fist in the lightning clouds
The Pope is about abortion & the spirits of the dead …
Television is about people sitting in their living room looking at their things
America is about being a big Country full of Cowboys Indians Jews Negroes & Americans
Orientals Chicanos Factories skyscrapers Niagara Falls Steel Mills radios homeless Conservatives, don’t forget
Russia is about Tzars Stalin Poetry Secret Police Communism barefoot in the snow
But that’s not really Russia it’s a concept
A concept is about how to look at the earth from the moon
without ever getting there. The moon is about love & Werewolves, also Poe.
Poe is about looking at the moon from the sun
or else the graveyard
Everything is about something if you’re a thin movie producer chainsmoking muggles
The world is about overpopulation, Imperial invasions, Biocide, Genocide, Fratricidal Wars, Starvation, Holocaust, mass injury & murder, high technology
Super science, atom Nuclear Neutron Hydrogen detritus, Radiation Compassion Buddha, Alchemy
Communication is about monopoly television radio movie newspaper spin on Earth, i.e. planetary censorship.
Universe is about Universe.
Allen Ginsberg is about confused mind writing down newspaper headlines from Mars—
The audience is about salvation, the listeners are about sex, Spiritual gymnastics, nostalgia for the Steam Engine & Pony Express
Hitler Stalin Roosevelt & Churchill are about arithmetic & Quadrilateral equations, above all chemistry physics & chaos theory—Who cares what it’s all about?
I do! Edgar Allan Poe cares! Shelley cares! Beethoven & Dylan care.
Do you care? What are you about
or are you a human being with 10 fingers & two eyes? (c)

Whatever this is...
Q: Fie My Fum

Pull my daisy,
Tip my cup,
Cut my thoughts
For coconuts,

Bone my shadow,
Dove my soul,
Set a halo
On my skull,

Ark my darkness,
Rack my lacks,
Bleak my lurking,
Lark my looks,

Start my Arden,
Gate my shades,
Silk my garden,
Rose my days,

Whore my door,
Stone my dream,
Milk my mind
And make me cream,

Say my oops,
Ope my shell,
Roll my bones,
Ring my bell,

Pope my parts,
Pop my pot,
Poke my pap,
Pit my plum. (c)

Atrociousness!
Q:
My Team Is Red Hot

My dick is red hot
Your dick is diddly dot

My politics red hot
Your politics diddly-plot

My President’s red hot
your President’s diddly-blot

My land is red hot
Your land is diddly-knot

My nation’s red hot
Your nation’s diddly rot

My cosmos red hot
Your cosmos diddly iddly squat. (c)

What the hell is this? Nasty!
Q:
Some Little Boys Dont

Some little boys like it
Some little boys dont
Some little girls swipe it
Some little girls won’t

Some nephews suck it
Some lollypops grunt
Some nieces truck it
If grandpa’s a runt

Some puberties request it
Four times a month
Some girl teens breast it
Some eat it for brunch

Some little people gargle
Some adolescents warble
Some teenyboppers babble
Some kiddies play Scrabble. (c)

Unfortunate & offensive
Q:
In Society

I walked into the cocktail party
room and found three or four queers
talking together in queertalk.I tried to be friendly but heard
myself talking to one in hiptalk.
“I’m glad to see you,” he said, and
looked away. “Hmn,” I mused. The room
was small and had a double-deckerbed in it, and cooking apparatus:icebox, cabinet, toasters, stove;
the hosts seemed to live with roomenough only for cooking and sleeping.
My remark on this score was understoodbut not appreciated. I was
offered refreshments, which I accepted... (c)

[Emily · Rating 4 out of 5]

My brother gave me this book when I was just starting high school. I got really, really into the beat poets then, and developed an obsession that burned too brightly not to snuff itself out. But even though I try to move away from Ginsberg, he helped me discover poetry and my ideals about life in the mechanized and deadening world we've been living in since the post-war period. To dismiss him would be unfair and ridiculous. His words still haunt my mind on a regular basis. My favorite poem of his, I think, is Sunflower Sutra.

[Aida_I · Rating 5 out of 5]

"...angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry dynamo in the machinery of night..."

[Charles Joyce · Rating 5 out of 5]

The collected poems of Allen Ginsberg remains to be the books of poetry I most often return to. Though his early and late writings lack the revolutionary focus and fire of Howl, though he spends (in my opinion) far too many pages carving out, in tingling detail, sexual events and fantasies, though his apparent need for acceptance and praise somtimes leak through, I am powerless to say no. This volume is absolutely encompassing; the lifetime portfolio of one of America's most well known and controversial poets-the spiritual offspring of Walt Whitman. What makes this collection so valuable is the range of poetry contained within it; the variance in style (from drug addled stream of consciousness to simple and pretty lyricism)is, frankly, astonishing. Ginsberg wrote with such purpose, leading pacifists to war against Moloch and putting his "queer shoulder to the wheel." He was a founding father of a revoluton in free thought, liberated sexuality and uncensored literature. And this hefty book is his journal of all that. What he saw, what he felt, what he imagined, what he lied about. "Kaddish" still pulls the heart from the chest and "Transcription of Organ Music" still dawns with feelings that escaped even Ginsberg's words. A man of brutal honesty, with himself, his lovers and his poetry. A brilliant body of work, required reading for anyone interested in the Beats, the evolution of American literature, the cultural storm leading to the social revival of the 1960's or just enchanting and powerful poetry.

[Jana · Rating 4 out of 5]

I am not a huge Ginsberg fan. There is frequently too much of the ego in his work for my taste and many of his earlier works are (in my opinion) more rant than stream of consciousness (as they have been described) despite my sympathy with his causes. That said, there is also no disputing his influence on the poetry scene in America.

In my opinion it is his poems of place, however, rather than the political poems that will stand the test of time. No one does creative concrete imagery better than Ginsberg. His place poems range from Cleveland to China with the best of these coming near the end of his career. In a volume like this one, which chronologically contains his collected works, it is most easy to see the maturing of the man and the poetic voice. Well worth reading.

[Super Vero · Rating 5 out of 5]

So far i've dug the way Ginsburg's poems that deal with events in US History are very matter of fact, sure Ginsburg has his opinions but they're written in a wry, witty way so that they do not feel self righteous or preachy to his views.

[Jen · Rating 5 out of 5]

What a great collection to have to turn to whenever you want to visit a true master!

[Odeen Rocha · Rating 5 out of 5]

Recopilación necesaria para quien gusta de la Beat Generation y quienes la vivieron. Desde ondas ultra filosóficas y visiones reveladoras de fantasmas hasta visitas al supermercado y banquetas de mediodía.

[Sarah · Rating 5 out of 5]

Allen Ginsberg is one of my soul mates!

[Andrew · Rating 3 out of 5]

Its a slow read that lives beside my bed.

[Derick · Rating 5 out of 5]

I'm always reading this book. Ginsberg is fabulous.

[Shelley · Rating 4 out of 5]

4.5

[Jonathan Brammer · Rating 3 out of 5]

Howl, Supermarket in California, and Kaddish are the bangers. Kaddish is particularly affecting, as it takes him out of his zeitgeist-chasing beatnik mode and has him wrestle with the meaning behind mom Naomi Ginsberg's madness and death.

The rest is pretty uneven. There is the drug-addled rambling, the attempts to recapture the lightning in the bottle of his early poems, the fixation with Eastern religious traditions, interspersed with graphic depictions of his sex life. By making frequent references to Blake and Whitman, Ginsberg self-consciously includes himself in the lineage of poetic mysticism and large-hearted Democracy.

[Ishmahourà, · Rating 5 out of 5]

Your long sad face. your tears of sexual frustration (what smothered sobs and bony hips under the pillows of Osborne Terrace) -the time I stood on the toilet seat naked and you powdered my thighs with calamine against the poison ivy-my tender and shamed first black curled hairs what were you thinking in secret heart then knowing me a man already- and I an ignorant girl of family silence on the thin pedestal of my legs in the bathroom.

[Jason Robinson · Rating 5 out of 5]

A brilliant collection of poems by Beat poet Allen Ginsberg, 1926-1997.

[Rosa Jamali · Rating 5 out of 5]

The most passionate poet of the twentieth century!

America
Allen Ginsberg
America I’ve given you all and now I’m nothing.
America two dollars and twenty-seven cents January 17, 1956.
I can’t stand my own mind.
America when will we end the human war?
Go f*** yourself with your atom bomb.

America which has been written in the heydays of political turmoil in the US and at the brink of
Vietnam War, from the early lines of the poem you see the poet is really concerned with the political
life of his country and is developing an anti-establishment tone, mentioning the dates and events.

Here's my translation of America

آمریکا / آلن گینزبرگ / ترجمه به فارسی: رُزا جمالی



آمریکا، هر آنچه داشتم را به تو بخشیده ام
و دیگر هیچ از من نمانده است
آمریکا یعنی دو دلار و بیست و هفت سنت
هفده ژانویه ی هزار و نهصد و پنجاه و شش است
و من نمی توانم بی قراری ذهن را تاب بیاورم
و تو کی این جنگ های انسانی را به اتمام خواهی رساند، آمریکا؟
بر تو نفرین و بر آن بمب اتمی ات
اصلا خوب نیستم، پس به من گیر نده!
بگذار ذهنم آرام بگیرد وگرنه شعرم را نخواهم نوشت
آمریکا،
کی پریوار خواهی شد؟
و پیراهن ات را در خواهی آورد؟
کی از درون گورت به خود نگاه خواهی کرد؟
کی درخور این روندگان به راه تروتسکی خواهی بود؟
چرا کتابخانه های تو از اشک پُر است؟
و کی تخم تو به هند خواهد رسید؟
من ازین همه خواستن های تو به ستوه آمدم
بالاخره کی می شود که به سوپرمارکت بروم
و با چهره ای خوشحال آنچه را که می خواهم بخرم؟
فقط من و تو چنان پُریم
و تو چنان زیادی وُ آخری
می خواهی که من شبیه یک قدیس باشم
حتما می توانیم راه حلی برای این معضل بیابیم



بیایید سر اصل مطلب برویم
چگونه دست از وسواس بردارم؟
آمریکا به من زور نگو که من می دانم چه می گویم
آمریکا شکوفه ها بر زمین ریخته اند
ماه هاست که من روزنامه ای نخوانده ام
انگار هر روز کسی به جرم قتل محاکمه می شود...

چقدر دلم به حال کارگران ات می سوزد
آمریکا وقتی بچه بودم کمونیست بودم و حالا پشیمان نیستم
تا دلت بخواهد ماریجوانا می کشم
روز از پی روز در خانه ام می نشینم
و به گل های سرخ داخل کمد خیره می مانم
می روم به محله ی چینی ها، مست می کنم و با کسی نمی خوابم
دیده بودی مرا که مارکس می خواندم؟
روان درمانگرم گفته حالم خوب است
و دیگر دعا نمی خوانم
چرا که به لحظه های عرفانی و لرزه های کیهانی دست پیدا کرده ام
آمریکا هنوز با تو سخن نگفته ام
که وقتی عمو مارکس از روسیه آمد چه بلایی بر سرش آوردی؟!

هیییییی... با توام؟
آیا می خواهی زندگی عاطفی ات تحت تاثیر نشریه ی تایمز باشد؟
هر هفته می خوانم اش
هر وقت که زیر زیرکی به آبنبات فروشی کنار خیابان سرک می کشم
تصویر روی جلد به من خیره است
و من در زیرزمین و در کتابخانه های عمومی در برکلی می خوانم اش
از مسئولیتی سخن می گویند این تاجران رسمی
تهیه کنندگان فیلم
همه مطرح اند اما من چه
انگار من خود آمریکا هستم
که دارم با خودم حرف می زنم.

تمام آسیا علیه من شورش کرده است
و من حتا شانس یک چینی را ندارم
بهتر است که منابع ملی را در نظر بگیریم
ثروت ملی ای که در ماری جوآنا خلاصه می شود
ماری جوآنا که نسل به نسل پرورش پیدا می کند
این ادبیات غیر رسمی که به سرعت ۱۴۰۰ مایل در ساعت
پرورش پیدا می کند و همه جا را در بر می گیرد
بیست و پنج هزار آسایشگاه روانی
چیزی درباره ی زندان ها نمی گویم
و آن ها که محروم اند
در قوطی حلبی زیر نورخوشید
پانصد بار
روسپی خانه های فرانسه را از پا در آوردم
و من که کاتولیکم آیا می توانم رئیس جمهور آمریکا شوم؟

آمریکا، با این وضع ات چطور برایت سرود مقدس بنویسم؟
چیزی شبیه اتومبیل هنری فورد، شعر من همان است
جنس اش فرق می کنه اما...
آمریکا حالا می خواهم شعرهایم را به تو بفروشم،
هر شعر می شه ۲۵۰ دلار
پنجاه دلار آتیش زدم به مال ام
شعرهای قدیمی ات
تام مونی رو آزاد کن دیگه
این همه سرسپرده و مزدور را نجات بده
ساکو و ونزتی نمیرندها!
من پیش آهنگم
هفت سالم بود زمانی که به جلسات چپ ها می رفتم
با یک کوپن یک مشت نخود می فروختند
پنج سنت
سخنرانی آزاد
انسان ها پریوار
دل سوزاندند برای کارگران
چه حقیقتی
۱۹۳۵، حزب چپ ها
چه پیرمرد متینی بود اسکات نیرینگ
انسان
دوباره با آهنگ های غمگین به گریه افتادم
اسرائیل امیتر در لباسی معمولی
همه جاسوس اند و ماموریتی دارند

آمریکا، نمی خواهی به جنگ بروی تو؟
آمریکا همه اش تقصیر این روس های پلید است
روس ها، روس ها، روس ها و چشم های چشم بادامی شان
روسیه دارد زنده زنده می بلعد ما را، روسیه با قدرتی دیوانه وار، ماشین ها را از پارکینگ ها دزدیده است
شیکاگو را ربوده است، این نشریه های زرد مردمی، ماشین سازی ها را در سیبری ربوده است
با تمام نظم بی بدیل اش پمپ بنزین ها را به کنترل درآورده
پوچ!
و رنگین پوستان را باسواد کنید، سیاهان غول پیکر را،...
شانزده ساعت در روز کار می کنیم ما.

آمریکا، مسئله جدی ست!
و این برداشت من است در نگاهی به تلویزیون
آمریکا، درسته دیگه؟
بهتره بریم سر اصل مطلب
من نمی خوام به ارتش بپیوندم
و به چرخکاری آدمیزاد مشغول شوم
هم نزدیک بین ام، هم روان پریش
آمریکا من افلیجم و این راه صعب العبور است.

[Bernie Gourley · Rating 5 out of 5]

This “collection” is actually 13 collections bound together in one volume that presents much of the published poetry of the Beat poet Allen Ginsberg over the second half of the 20th century—till his death in 1997. Ginsberg is probably best known for “Howl,” which is both the name of the third collection in this book and the poem for which it was named (i.e. “I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness,…”) However, Ginsberg’s work is extensive, and one can find many a lesser known gem inside.

Ginsberg’s body of work isn’t just copious; it’s also highly varied stylistically. While Ginsberg most commonly uses free verse, he also uses rhyming / metered poems, shaped poems, variations on haiku, musical lyrics, and--in rare instances--prose form poems and puzzle poems.

While Ginsberg’s work is also thematically varied, there are a number of recurring themes. First, as one might expect of the author of “Howl,” Ginsberg’s work is highly politically charged. One gets a history review of the latter 20th century from reading this volume. Ginsberg rails against the war in Vietnam, against the Iran-Contra affair, and against alleged CIA drug dealing at home and abroad. It should be noted that while Ginsberg’s views are expectedly counter-culture, there isn’t the delusional glorification of the opposition that one often sees from many political writers. That is to say, as Ginsberg rebukes capitalists and conservatives, he also takes on the Soviets and other leftist regimes who engaged in human rights violations or war-mongering.

Second, as one might expect from the inspiration for Alvah Goldbook in Jack Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums,” Ginsberg frequently references Eastern spiritual traditions—notably Tibetan Buddhism and Zen. There are a number of poems set in places like Varanasi (Benares) and Siem Reap (Angkor) that reflect Ginsberg’s traveling exploration of these systems. Of course, Ginsberg was a traveler in general, and so there are a number of poems set in the Western Hemisphere and Europe as well. Ginsberg also writes a little bit on his birth religion, Judaism, but usually in a secular manner and sometimes while rebuking the actions of Zionists.

Third, there are many [mostly homoerotic] sex poems in the collection. For those who are sensitive about such matters, I don’t use the term “sex poem” as a sloppy substitute for the word erotica. These aren’t erotic love poems in the conventional sense, they are usually graphic and Ginsberg purposefully uses provocative, shocking, and sometimes lurid wording to evoke a response in the reader. If reading about Ginsberg’s sexual adventures will cause you emotional trauma, be forewarned.

There are end-notes that can be quite helpful, particularly if you’ve forgotten some of your 20th century history, are unfamiliar with Beat trivia (all of the characters from Kerouac’s “Dharma Bums” make an appearance), or aren’t familiar with the various yogic and Buddhist gurus who Ginsberg refers to. (The first set of notes oddly comes after the 10th collection. that’s because this collection is actually even more of a matryoshka doll than I suggested. The first 10 collections are actually collections inside a collection (“Collected Poems 1947 – 1980”) that’s inside a collection (“Collected Poems 1947 – 1997”.) The last three collections have their own end-notes immediately following them.

There are few graphics, mostly the music to poems that are—or can be—set to music.

I’d recommend this collection to poetry readers, particularly those who enjoy Beat period language. As I mentioned, the delicate political or sexual sensitivities of some readers may be offended. On the other hand, as I always say: If you’re not reading outside your comfort zone, you shouldn’t consider yourself so much educated as indoctrinated.

[Dane Cobain · Rating 4 out of 5]

Given that these are Ginsberg’s Collected Poems, it makes the most sense for me to share some of my reviews of the individual poetry books in the collection, so here goes.

The Gates of Wrath: This book contains some of Ginsberg’s earlier poems, and I wasn’t particularly impressed. For me, whilst there was the odd spark of genius, it pales into insignificance next to his later work. Still worth reading it, though.

Howl and Other Poems: Most famous for the epic poem Howl, which launched Ginsberg’s career and caused an obscenity trial, this collection is also notable for greats like America, Sunflower Sutra and In Back of the Real.

Reality Sandwiches: If you’ve ever read Ginsberg before then you probably have a pretty good idea of what to expect. This is a pretty typical example of Ginsberg’s work and the majority of the work is from the late 50s, when Ginsberg was arguably at his best.

There were obviously a whole bunch of different poems and subject matters here, and some of them resonated more closely with me than the others. But as a general rule, it was good stuff that still holds up today.

Kaddish and Other Poems: In this stellar little collection of poetry spanning the years 1958-1960, you can tell that Ginsberg is tripping balls – in fact, it includes poems titled ‘Laughing Gas‘, ‘Mescaline‘ and ‘Lysergic Acid‘. The three poems that follow, completing the collection, were written “to record visions experienced after drinking Ayahuasca, an Amazon spiritual potion,” according to the author.

Howl and Other Poems is the best place to start with Ginsberg – read this next, and you’ll be a full convert.

Planet News: Perhaps I’m just getting old, but unfortunately Ginsberg just doesn’t really seem to do it for me anymore. I do think he has a bunch of great poems, but I also think that he has quite a lot of filler, and this collection felt like it had more filler than genius.

Still, I did think it was worth reading, and it’s perhaps notable because it contains the poem Television was a Baby Crawling Toward That Deathchamber, which I’ve seen referenced in a bunch of different places and which I’m pretty sure I’ve seen Ginsberg himself doing a reading of.

Would I recommend it? I mean, only if you’re an Allen Ginsberg fan and you’ve already read Howl and most of Ginsberg’s other stuff. It was ai’ght.

The Fall of America: The Fall of America is one of my favourite collections of Ginsberg’s work, despite the fact that it doesn’t contain his most famous or most celebrated poetry. It is, however, a longer collection than some of his others, spanning the years 1965 – 1971 and charting a period in history that I can’t help but be fascinated by.

Whether you’re reading September On Jessore Road, with its Dylan-esque refrain and anti-establishment vibes, or the heartwarming series of elegies for Neal Cassady, you’ll feel the raw power of Ginsberg’s words as they jump off the page and blaze a path across your mind, and you’re unlikely to forget the feelings that were roused even if you do forget the meaning.

The Neal Cassady poems are of historical importance themselves – Cassady, a fellow writer who inspired the character of Dean Moriarty in Jack Kerouac’s On the Road, was the first of the great beat figures to die, coming to an early end after walking home alone beside a railroad track.

Mind Breaths: It seems like every collection of Ginsberg’s work has some pieces of stand-out poetry, and this one’s no different – Mind Breaths, the titular poem of the collection, is like an extension of Howl, and Sweet Boy, Gimme Yr Ass is a triumphant celebration of the poet’s sexuality. Keep your eyes peeled, too, for Hadda Be Playing on the Jukebox, a vicious indictment of the government and the wars that they carry out that was adapted by Rage Against the Machine.

Ginsberg’s work here is as sharp as ever, and it’s a pretty short collection – too short, in fact, for you not to read it.

Plutonian Ode: Plutonian Ode is one of Ginsberg’s more forgettable collections, but only in comparison to the stand-out work that he produced throughout the fifties – there are still some fantastic poems here, political pieces designed to make his readers think about the world around them.

These poems are no less relevant than they were when they were written, between the years of 1977 and 1980. If you’ve read and enjoyed some of Ginsberg’s other work then I highly recommend you buy not only this but the rest of Ginsberg’s pocket poets collection.

White Shroud: This late collection of Ginsberg’s is difficult to track down, and I think I know why. Because this came along so late in Ginsberg’s career, I suspect that after the initial print run, it mostly just got tacked onto the end of his collected poems after he died.

It’s a decent collection but too hard to get hold of to be of any real interest to anyone other than the seasoned Ginsberg reader. I’m glad I ticked it off, though.

Cosmopolitan Greetings: Cosmopolitan Greetings is pretty special because it’s some of the last work that the great poet Ginsberg ever wrote, written between 1986 and 1992 and published in 1994, three years before his death. Despite his old age, his work is as strong as ever, and much of it is still relevant today.

If you’re a musician or an artist, you’ll be particularly interested in some of Ginsberg’s visual work and some of his music – he wrote lyrics to go alongside music, like Bob Dylan in reverse. Cosmopolitan Greetings sees Ginsberg back in the form that he was in back in the 1950s.

So those are all of the reviews that I’d already written, and that leaves me with a couple hundred words left to finish up with. That should be just about all I need.

There are a few other sections with titles here that may or may not be based on existing collections. By the time that I picked this up, I’d already tracked down as much Ginsberg as I could, and so the collections that I was missing were the ones that are particularly rare and/or hard to track down.

That was fun for me because it meant I was able to go back to basics and read some of his earliest stuff, back when his poetry used to rhyme. Rhyming poetry isn’t really my thing, but it was interesting to see how Ginsberg handled it and there were also a few homages to other poets.

All in all, it’s one heck of a chunky monkey, and so unless you’re a huge Allen Ginsberg fan then I can’t imagine you wanting to pick it up. It’s a fantastic read for lovers of the beat generation, though, as well as an indispensable reference book, especially for those rarer poems that aren’t as easy to find online. There’s a reason why I whizzed through it so quickly.

[Jacob Lopez · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you're purely interested in rhyme, meter, and neatly written quatrains, then read pre-Whitman. Poetry has long since been freed from the constraints of formal elements. Now, theorists understand that a chosen line length, changing meter (or lack of meter), and words sprawled freely across pages hold stronger emotional capacity than lines trimmed neatly like hedges.

I feel Ginsberg isn't catering to his generation of hippies alone. Part of the beat spirituality is freeing the mind from social constraints. So when Ginsberg writes something like "holy the cocks of the grandfathers of Kansas!" he's not attempting to please his buddies. The line also means "shit! should I risk writing this? Fuck it, yes. Fuck the stratification of language. 'Cocks' can very well belong in poetry."

Ginsberg can be read as an extension of Whitman into contemporary generations both spiritually and rebelliously. Just read Whitman's "Children of Adam" cluster (remembering that it was written and published in the 19th century) and you'll know what I mean.

This book presents vital work for the emancipation of poetry.

[Μακης Περδικοματης · Rating 5 out of 5]

Ginsberg's poems bring to my mind music, conversations, smells from the first time I read them. Poetry is very difficult for me, but at the same time it fascinates me very much. Every time I read his poems I think I "understand" them a little more.

However, one of the many reasons I love Howl (and Ginsberg) even more is because it was the occasion to get in touch with the rest of the beats!

Unfortunately we have only a few of his poems translated in Greek😢

[Zack Andresen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Lots and lots of shitty poetry, especially in the earlier years. However when you do find a good one, it is a real gem. I would recommend reading this alongside Barry Mile's biography on Ginsberg. It really adds to the poetry to know the story behind it.

[Cristhian · Rating 4 out of 5]

Desconozco si es la totalidad de los poemas de Allen pero vaya que es unq colección cronológica bastante amplia.
En momentos llega a ser un tipo de libreta de viajes y es algo hermoso ver al mundo como el lo quizo ver.

[MimistXYU · Rating 1 out of 5]

An uncountable amount of the poetry is just about gay intercourse and paedophilia. Barely any great poems. You can't "seperate the art from the artist" when almost all of his poems are the 'artist' part.

[Martin Blasco · Rating 5 out of 5]

allen ginsberg, through his poetry prophesizes about his, our history, and his spirit is so alive. a master. whitman is proud.

[Emily Frame · Rating 3 out of 5]

"i am with you in rockland."

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is not a book you ever finish.

[Jake Brockman · Rating 5 out of 5]

The essential book of Ginsberg.

[Bradley · Rating 2 out of 5]

Should be required reading for all angst-ridden teenagers getting high on hormones and other illicit substances.

[E · Rating 4 out of 5]

Never done with this

[madison · Rating 5 out of 5]

Howl is my favorite poem of all time. I even have a tattoo inspired by it. If you're not into poetry, at least read that poem. It'll change your life.