Ferlinghetti, a biography

by Neeli Cherkovski (Illustrator)

In the mid-50s a group of San Francisco- based poets and writers emerged as a central force in American letters. Self-styled bohemians, disillusioned with the old American dream of prosperity and conformity, they labeled themselves as the "Beat Generation." Their ranks included Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Jack Kerouac and this shy young port.

Genres: Poetry, Biography

254 pages, Hardcover

First published January 1, 1979

About the author

Neeli Cherkovski (born Nelson Innis Cherry) grew up in Los Angeles, California and moved to San Francisco in 1974, where he was a member of the vibrant North Beach literary community. He has lived with Jesse Cabrera since 1983. Cherkovski has published many books and his work has been translated into many languages. His papers are archived at the Bancroft Library, University of California, Berkeley. He is a recipient of an American Book Award, a Josephine Miles National Literary Award, and is a San Francisco Public Library Literary Laureate. A Greek translation of Cherkovski's selected poems will be published in 2024 and his book of portrait poems will be published by City Lights Books in 2025. He is currently working on a memoir of his life, as well as a collection of literary essays.

Reviews

[Rhonda · Rating 5 out of 5]

Satisfying writing (meaning comfortably readable) with creditable sources and a good selection of photographs. I especially like the section at the end where the author goes through the book chapter by chapter outlining the steps she (? I think) took gathering and putting together the information she had for that section. I have never seen that in a biography before but always been aware of the writers voice and what it seemed to reflect about his or her attitude, feelings, possible biases towards the subject. Writing out the process does not mean the author is therefore invulnerable to personal leanings but it does provide extra, useful information on how and what pieces of information is collected, who from and how using that knowledge is then shaped - providing information about the author as well.

[Christopher · Rating 4 out of 5]

A very enjoyable read that recounts Ferlinghetti's live up through the 1970s. It was valuable and interesting to see how he fit into the San Francisco renaissance and how his Bohemian sensibilities informed the Beats while remaining someone apart from them.