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Allen Ginsberg – legenda amerykańskiej kontrkultury, nieformalny lider Beat Generation, a przede wszystkim przyjaciel Jacka Kerouaca, Neala Cassady’ego, Williama S. Burroughsa i Boba Dylana – podobno zawsze miał pod ręką długopis i kartkę, by w każdej chwili móc napisać list. Ten niemal fanatyczny wielbiciel słów i literatury, przenikliwy myśliciel i krytyk Ameryki przez całe życie prowadził ożywioną korespondencję nie tylko z rodziną i przyjaciółmi, ale także z pisarzami i politykami. Reagował, dyskutował, popadał w intelektualne samouwielbienie, szukał ratunku w sztuce i psychoanalizie. Jego listy są pełne emocji, gwałtowne, soczyste i przepełnione ironią, a także zaskakująco dosadne. Opisy nocnego życia Nowego Jorku, alkoholowych i narkotycznych sesji, pobytu w szpitalu psychiatrycznym, homoseksualnych przygód, artystycznych happeningów składają się na lustro, w którym odbija się życie osobiste wrażliwego poety, i ukazują, jak ewoluowały jego poglądy na literaturę, filozofię, sztukę.
856 pages, Hardcover
First published January 1, 2008
24 people are currently reading
827 people want to read
About the author
Allen Ginsberg
489 books4,090 followersAllen 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.
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.
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Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews
January 1, 2016
This is a collection of letters written to other beat writers, like Kerouac, publishers and so on. Interesting that people would save old letters, especially when they were written when no one had celebrity. A lot of work collecting and formatting them for publication.
Most everyone in the letters are dead, so they could be published without threat of libel, which makes for some juicy reading and interesting information that I never heard before. For instance, Ginsberg was facing jail time for letting Hunkey and a couple other people to use his pad for selling stolen property from their burglaries to feed their drug addiction. Ginsberg's lawyer convinced the judge that Ginsberg should go to a psych hospital instead of jail because he must be crazy to make such bad decisions. In the psych hospital he meets Carl Solomon, mentioned in Howl and dedicates Howl to Solomon. Solomon works for his grandfather Wyn who owns Ace Publishing, and gets Solomon to get Wyn to publish Burrough's first book Junkie. He could get Wyn to publish Kerouac's Vision of Cody, which is unreadable. In a later letter Ginsberg claims Wyn is a "shyster" who won't pay the royalties.
I skimmed through the book, picking out letters here and there I thought would be interesting. If you're interested in knowing more about the beats, you'll find this book interesting to say the least. The view from behind the curtain isn't what you see in the front row.
Most everyone in the letters are dead, so they could be published without threat of libel, which makes for some juicy reading and interesting information that I never heard before. For instance, Ginsberg was facing jail time for letting Hunkey and a couple other people to use his pad for selling stolen property from their burglaries to feed their drug addiction. Ginsberg's lawyer convinced the judge that Ginsberg should go to a psych hospital instead of jail because he must be crazy to make such bad decisions. In the psych hospital he meets Carl Solomon, mentioned in Howl and dedicates Howl to Solomon. Solomon works for his grandfather Wyn who owns Ace Publishing, and gets Solomon to get Wyn to publish Burrough's first book Junkie. He could get Wyn to publish Kerouac's Vision of Cody, which is unreadable. In a later letter Ginsberg claims Wyn is a "shyster" who won't pay the royalties.
I skimmed through the book, picking out letters here and there I thought would be interesting. If you're interested in knowing more about the beats, you'll find this book interesting to say the least. The view from behind the curtain isn't what you see in the front row.
October 20, 2013
Reading these letters solidifies the admiration I've developed for Ginsberg over the years. It also reminded me of the loss of a great tradition--written correspondence--or maybe it will be a transformation to another way of documenting our relationships to people and the world. There is so much in these letters that may or may not have been expressed if he were only keeping a blog or sending emails. Another thing that I learned from this volume was that I had summarily dismissed Ezra Pound because of his connection to fascism and anit-semitism. To see here how Ginsberg was able to seek him out, forgive him (implicitly), and receive (explicitly), in return, an admission from the "old man" that he had been foolish on certain scores was a powerful revelation for me.
January 15, 2018
A collection of correspondence that confirm's Ginsberg's poetic genius as well as his petty human flaws. In that way it's inspiring.
July 1, 2018
3.5/5 or 7/10
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April 29, 2021Na wyrywki
September 8, 2024
Każdy, kto mnie zna, wie, że kocham Ginsberga i interesuje się ruchem beatu, jednak pomimo całej sympatii do Allena książka trochę mnie zawiodła. Rok temu czytałam listy Kerouaca z Ginsbergiem i były o niebo lepsze: długie wstępy tłumaczące poszczególne wydarzenia historii bitników , szczegółowe (ale nie do przesady) przypisy, listy zdecydowanie były bardziej skondensowane.
W tej książce natomiast pojawia się problem - albo informacje się powtarzają, albo przestawione zostały totalnie podstawowe fakty, które można było wyczytać z wstępów do innych dzieł autorów Beatu albo z drugiego zbioru listów.
Niby można założyć że książkę weźmie ktoś totalnie niezaznajomiony, ale szczerze nie sądzę.
Minusem na pewno jest to, że często nie dostaję informacji czy Allenowi w ogóle została udzielona odpowiedź na daną prośbę, informacje itp, w której sprawie pisał (oczywiście jest kilka wyjątków, np. sprawa z Poundem i rytmiką utworów) - listy są jednostronne.
Co do plusów wynikających też z osobistych upodobań:
1. Interpretacje znanych utworów: Ameryki, Skowytu, Kaddyszu, Supermarketu w Kalifornii od źródła, informacje także o tych mniej „oklepanych” wierszach i muzycznych aranżacjach - to zdecydowanie na plus.
2. List do Johna Hollandera w którym Allen udowadnia, że wie co robi z poezja, zna się na metryce i wszystko wbrew pozorom jest ułożone, przemyślane, nie rzuca byle jakich słów na kartkę.
3. Bardzo podobało mi się poruszenie wątku muzyki, bo w dziejach beatu to mega ważne- sporo ciekawostek o znajomości z Lennonem czy Bobem Dylanem, jest list ze znanym wydarzeniem śpiewania Mexico City blues na grobie Kerouaca.
4. Miałam poczucie że spotyka się w listach sporo moich zainteresowań - Jean Genet, Ezra Pound, Passolini, Jodorovsky, Katullus, Majakowski
5. Opis urodzin Allena, pobyt w Czechach, akcja z notatnikiem/pamiętnikiem, nagie odczyty - sporo kontrowersji
6. Listy do New York Timesa, chociaż dało się je skrócić
7. Największym plusem chyba jest poczucie humoru Allena, bo naprawdę śmiałam się wiele razy. Gość bardzo oddany przyjaciołom (co wielokrotnie słusznie było podkreślane) , ubiegający się o wydawanie poetów, których uważał za godnych, ale jednocześnie potrafiący skrytykować, coś co mu się nie podoba. „Obsesyjnie powtarzany rytm to nie muzyka, ale nerwica (…) (tu halucynacja, a tu se pi*****nę literkę”. „Zastanawiasz się, czemu nic ode mnie nie dostałeś? Stary, to nie jest studnia bez dna”.
8. Relacja z Dusty, Helen Parker
9. Listy z ojcem - wspólne rozmowy o poezji polityce, można sobie wyobrazić ich relację
Z samej sympatii do Allena dałabym książce milion gwiazdek, bo Allen to poeta o dużym zapleczu merytorycznym, znający klasyki literatury, człowiek o ciekawych zainteresowaniach (przez cały opis podróży przez Indie Ginsberga podziwiałam jak jest on w stanie zapamiętać tyle nazw bogów i tutejszych zwyczajów), ale niestety wleci 4 :)
W tej książce natomiast pojawia się problem - albo informacje się powtarzają, albo przestawione zostały totalnie podstawowe fakty, które można było wyczytać z wstępów do innych dzieł autorów Beatu albo z drugiego zbioru listów.
Niby można założyć że książkę weźmie ktoś totalnie niezaznajomiony, ale szczerze nie sądzę.
Minusem na pewno jest to, że często nie dostaję informacji czy Allenowi w ogóle została udzielona odpowiedź na daną prośbę, informacje itp, w której sprawie pisał (oczywiście jest kilka wyjątków, np. sprawa z Poundem i rytmiką utworów) - listy są jednostronne.
Co do plusów wynikających też z osobistych upodobań:
1. Interpretacje znanych utworów: Ameryki, Skowytu, Kaddyszu, Supermarketu w Kalifornii od źródła, informacje także o tych mniej „oklepanych” wierszach i muzycznych aranżacjach - to zdecydowanie na plus.
2. List do Johna Hollandera w którym Allen udowadnia, że wie co robi z poezja, zna się na metryce i wszystko wbrew pozorom jest ułożone, przemyślane, nie rzuca byle jakich słów na kartkę.
3. Bardzo podobało mi się poruszenie wątku muzyki, bo w dziejach beatu to mega ważne- sporo ciekawostek o znajomości z Lennonem czy Bobem Dylanem, jest list ze znanym wydarzeniem śpiewania Mexico City blues na grobie Kerouaca.
4. Miałam poczucie że spotyka się w listach sporo moich zainteresowań - Jean Genet, Ezra Pound, Passolini, Jodorovsky, Katullus, Majakowski
5. Opis urodzin Allena, pobyt w Czechach, akcja z notatnikiem/pamiętnikiem, nagie odczyty - sporo kontrowersji
6. Listy do New York Timesa, chociaż dało się je skrócić
7. Największym plusem chyba jest poczucie humoru Allena, bo naprawdę śmiałam się wiele razy. Gość bardzo oddany przyjaciołom (co wielokrotnie słusznie było podkreślane) , ubiegający się o wydawanie poetów, których uważał za godnych, ale jednocześnie potrafiący skrytykować, coś co mu się nie podoba. „Obsesyjnie powtarzany rytm to nie muzyka, ale nerwica (…) (tu halucynacja, a tu se pi*****nę literkę”. „Zastanawiasz się, czemu nic ode mnie nie dostałeś? Stary, to nie jest studnia bez dna”.
8. Relacja z Dusty, Helen Parker
9. Listy z ojcem - wspólne rozmowy o poezji polityce, można sobie wyobrazić ich relację
Z samej sympatii do Allena dałabym książce milion gwiazdek, bo Allen to poeta o dużym zapleczu merytorycznym, znający klasyki literatury, człowiek o ciekawych zainteresowaniach (przez cały opis podróży przez Indie Ginsberga podziwiałam jak jest on w stanie zapamiętać tyle nazw bogów i tutejszych zwyczajów), ale niestety wleci 4 :)
July 30, 2014
It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Allen Ginsberg and beat writers in general, but this book was a little heavy even for me – as with most collections of letters, it’s better suited to scholars and researchers, who can dip in and out to source references for their essays. Reading it from cover to cover took a lot of time, and I’ll confess that I had to do it over the course of a year, reading only one or two letters at a time.
Ginsberg and his pals often wrote in a sort of code, a bizarre dialect which was populated with obscure references and in-jokes that only the recipients of the letters could really understand – even with hefty annotations, it’s often a struggle to understand what’s being talked about, which was probably precisely what the great poet intended. You really feel like an interloper, as if you’ve dug the letters out of someone’s drawer when they weren’t looking – you feel like you don’t belong, and it’s a weird feeling to have when you’re trying to read a book.
That said, there are some fascinating insights here that you won’t find anywhere else, and Ginsberg writes to such notable beat figures as William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Lucien Carr, as well as his long-term lover Peter Orlovsky. In a way, it’s sad to think that his generation was one of the last to use letters to their fullest – will the equivalent become a book of e-mails in the future, or even worse, instant messaging logs?
I wouldn’t bother picking this up if you’re only a casual reader of Ginsberg – it’s far too much, and you won’t enjoy it. If you’ve read literally all of his other books, though, then I guess you have no choice – you’ve read enough to have graduated to his letters, and you’ll understand them much more when they’re placed in the context of his wider body of work.
Credit is due, however, to Bill Morgan, the book’s editor – he’s done all of the research so you don’t have to, and without his footnotes and observations, you’d really struggle to understand what’s happening. Morgan was Ginsberg’s literary archivist for many years and has even written a biography called I Celebrate Myself, so he knows what he’s doing – this isn’t his first work on a collection of letters, either. He also worked on the Selected Letters of Gregory Corso, and so editing together the thoughts of crazy writers isn’t new to him.
There’s not much left to say, but I’d be interested to know what you think if you read it – tweet me and let me know.
Ginsberg and his pals often wrote in a sort of code, a bizarre dialect which was populated with obscure references and in-jokes that only the recipients of the letters could really understand – even with hefty annotations, it’s often a struggle to understand what’s being talked about, which was probably precisely what the great poet intended. You really feel like an interloper, as if you’ve dug the letters out of someone’s drawer when they weren’t looking – you feel like you don’t belong, and it’s a weird feeling to have when you’re trying to read a book.
That said, there are some fascinating insights here that you won’t find anywhere else, and Ginsberg writes to such notable beat figures as William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady and Lucien Carr, as well as his long-term lover Peter Orlovsky. In a way, it’s sad to think that his generation was one of the last to use letters to their fullest – will the equivalent become a book of e-mails in the future, or even worse, instant messaging logs?
I wouldn’t bother picking this up if you’re only a casual reader of Ginsberg – it’s far too much, and you won’t enjoy it. If you’ve read literally all of his other books, though, then I guess you have no choice – you’ve read enough to have graduated to his letters, and you’ll understand them much more when they’re placed in the context of his wider body of work.
Credit is due, however, to Bill Morgan, the book’s editor – he’s done all of the research so you don’t have to, and without his footnotes and observations, you’d really struggle to understand what’s happening. Morgan was Ginsberg’s literary archivist for many years and has even written a biography called I Celebrate Myself, so he knows what he’s doing – this isn’t his first work on a collection of letters, either. He also worked on the Selected Letters of Gregory Corso, and so editing together the thoughts of crazy writers isn’t new to him.
There’s not much left to say, but I’d be interested to know what you think if you read it – tweet me and let me know.
October 20, 2010
I admire Allen Ginsberg and his poetry. I consider him one of the most influential poets of the 20th century as well as a poet to simply enjoy for his written word. So I'd keenly anticipated reading his letters. I wasn't disappointed. Their insight into the biographical details, of course, is intriguing. But in addition, though I'd already suspected this to be true, these letters to friends, peers, lovers, and colleagues show a wide breadth of literary knowledge and an ability to transmit it in a well-informed, helpful way. A true and generous friend to many, he worked unstintingly in behalf of others and their literary ambitions, as well as simply being a warm and kind man interested in the lives of those he cared for, which was practically everybody. Ginsberg's humanity was boundless and sincere, his support and encouragement of the arts often instrumental in promoting their advancement. A couple of minor difficulties, though. He and Jack Kerouac frequently corresponded in the style Jack relentlessly insisted was the most honest and from the heart, what he called spontaneous bop prosody. Those letters of almost interior monologue-like free association aren't always easy reading. And Ginsberg's letters to public officials aren't as interesting as personal letters written to friends and acquaintances. The editor, Bill Morgan, tried to be scrupulously various in providing the widest possible range of Ginsberg's correspondence, but I wish he'd included more personal letters. Still, it's fascinating reading. And probably essential for an old Ginsberg fan like me.
November 2, 2014
Great collection of letters. Earlier ones bring you back to a time when Ginsberg and his friends were struggling writers, trying to become published and known. These letters take you through the creation of great works like "Howl" and "Kaddish," as well as his correspondences with Kerouac and Burroughs with their works, and all the writers he helped get published; especially the City Lights Pocket Poets series where he wrote back and forth to Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
From the first letter in there as a kid to the last letter written days before his death, Ginsberg wrote on a large array of topics such as politics and philosophy. He wrote to a different group of people from his father and friends, to Presidents of the United States.
These letters show off Ginsberg's writing ability: whether showing how much can fit on a postcard to long poetic prose in letters, they are not a chore to read but pleasant.
I picked this up to read a little here and there but there were times I could not put the book down. I recommend this to more than fans of Allen Ginsberg's work. I feel that people who are interested in 20th century history, especially counter-culture, and movements that went on during that time. This took me back to a time before I was alive and brought me in the middle of events. This is also a story of Ginsberg's ultimate quest to find himself, as well as keep the literary culture alive.
I got more than I expected. Almost didn't purchase - glad I did!
From the first letter in there as a kid to the last letter written days before his death, Ginsberg wrote on a large array of topics such as politics and philosophy. He wrote to a different group of people from his father and friends, to Presidents of the United States.
These letters show off Ginsberg's writing ability: whether showing how much can fit on a postcard to long poetic prose in letters, they are not a chore to read but pleasant.
I picked this up to read a little here and there but there were times I could not put the book down. I recommend this to more than fans of Allen Ginsberg's work. I feel that people who are interested in 20th century history, especially counter-culture, and movements that went on during that time. This took me back to a time before I was alive and brought me in the middle of events. This is also a story of Ginsberg's ultimate quest to find himself, as well as keep the literary culture alive.
I got more than I expected. Almost didn't purchase - glad I did!
August 14, 2013
I couldn't get through this book. It is very rare that I put a book down without finishing it. The letters were interesting to read, just to get a glimpse into Ginsberg's life and the inner workings of his rambling mind. I found much humor throughout but also a lot of self-inflicted pathos which made the it really hard to read. Kind of-Okay, that's enough of that. I'd be more interested in reading about the women of the Beat Generation-the spouses, muses, poets. That book by Brenda Knight come to mind-Women Of the Beat Generation-, but it barely even cracks the surface of that subject. It offers enough information, though, to make you look a bit harder for these women elsewhere.
March 19, 2009
I really had no idea how absolutely brilliant Allen Ginsberg was. I saw his beatnik writing as loosely flowing, when in fact the structure he explains and worked on was exhaustive.. who knew he tried so hard and made it look so easy. His letters were witty, funny, sometimes sincere to his allies and friends, but mostly sarcastic to his critics. I am always searching for more biographical information about people who were adults when I was a child. I really wanted to know more about the world than anyone would tell me at the time.. I need to make up for it now.
October 15, 2014
Allen Ginsberg was a thoughtful, reflective, and prolific letter-writer who led a fascinating life. Even if you're not particularly interested in the Beats or his poetry, these are a good read -- both as pieces of prose in themselves, and as historical artifacts of a moment in American time.
February 20, 2016
obszerny (836 stron) wybór listów; zainteresowały mnie te, w których poznaje się Ginsberga-człowieka, - poetę, - zaangażowanego politycznie; warto zwrócić uwagę na list do dyrektora CIA z prośbą o dotację na poezję w skromnej kwocie 10 mln dolarów, majstersztyk :)
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October 30, 2009Very interesting to learn about the writer side of the "beat" group. I enjoyed reading this book.
April 2, 2012
If only for his description of Howl..this is a good read.
June 27, 2015
I like the way he writes, I like the way he uses the right words for a specific sentence. I really enjoyed reading this collection it was kind of amazing!
Displaying 1 - 17 of 17 reviews