Howl; Fifty Years Later

Charlene · **Posted:** Fri Mar 31, 2006 9:02 pm

Entertainment Weekly ~ April 7, 2006 ~ listed this new book on it's "The Must List"

I peeked in at Amazon.com and found this (released March 21, 2006)

http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0374173435/sr=8-1/qid=1143853145/ref=sr_1_1/104-6670085-0471965?%5Fencoding=UTF8

Quote:

From Publishers Weekly
If the opening lines of Allen Ginsberg's "Howl" aren't seared into your brain, they will be by the end of this collection of 26 essays compiled by Shinder, a poet (Among Women) who learned much of his craft as Ginsberg's pupil. It's a shame the poem isn't included, though it feels as if it's quoted in its entirety at various points (the hardcover edition does come with a Ginsberg reading on CD). This collection juxtaposes reflections by writers such as Rick Moody and Andrei Codrescu about the impact of "Howl' on their lives; Billy Collins writes, "...it wasn't a waste of time for a Catholic high school boy from the suburbs to try to sound in his poems like a downtown homosexual Jewish beatnik." Robert Pinsky writes that he was initially elated by the poem's linguistic freedom even more than by its raw emotion. Though everybody gives the poem its due as an American classic, personal reactions dominate, and nearly everyone has a Ginsberg story to tell, even if it's just about being blown away by hearing him read. For those who have been moved by Ginsberg's words, this collection serves as a stirring confirmation. Photos. (Apr.)
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

Review

"THE POEM THAT CHANGED AMERICA is alive on every page. Ginsberg's "Howl" calls out to who we are at any given moment: bold, driven, tormented; ecstatic, solitary or joined in ecstasy. Ginsberg wanted us respond in our own voices, and because each writer here does, this wonderful book is more than a tribute -- it's a collaboration with the poet himself." —Margo Jefferson, cultural critic

"An absolutely indispensable revelation of how the best minds of succeeding generations considered "Howl." Let's hope that this book too might change America." —Lawrence Ferlinghetti

DeppInTheHeartOfTexas · **Posted:** Fri Mar 31, 2006 10:17 pm

Thanks, Charlene! :cool:

Here is a little more info from Barnes & Noble on who has written essays. I also read a review that says the original poem is included.

FROM THE PUBLISHER
A tribute to Ginsberg's signature work, which stirred a generation of angel-headed hipsters to cultural rebellion.

In 1956, City Lights, a small San Francisco bookstore, published Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems with its trademark black-and-white cover. The original edition cost seventy-five cents, but there was something priceless about its eponymous piece. Although it gave a voice to the new generation that came of age in the conservative years following World War II, the poem also conferred a strange, subversive power that continues to exert its influence to this day. Ginsberg went on to become one of the most eminent and celebrated writers of the second half of the twentieth century, and "Howl" became the critical axis of the worldwide literary, cultural, and political movement that would be known as the Beat generation.

The year 2006 marks the fiftieth anniversary of the publication of "Howl," and The Poem That Changed America will celebrate and shed new light on this profound cultural work. With new essays by many of today's most distinguished writers, including Frank Bidart, Andrei Codrescu, Vivian Gornick, Phillip Lopate, Daphne Merkin, Rick Moody, Robert Pinsky, and Luc Sante, The Poem That Changed America reveals the pioneering influence of "Howl" down through the decades and its powerful resonance today.

Liz · **Posted:** Sat Apr 01, 2006 11:45 am

This sounds like a must read for anyone interested in Ginsberg and the Beats. :cool:

I'm putting it on my list. Thanks Charlene.

Endora · **Posted:** Sat Apr 01, 2006 12:01 pm

Cartainly sounds an interesting read. I found Howl very difficult, and so haven't re-read it in years. I think you have to know more than I do about American heritage and the American mind. Maybe I should try.

DeppInTheHeartOfTexas · **Posted:** Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:03 pm

I think that helps, Endora. I found it easier to relate to than some other reads for that reason.

cait · **Posted:** Sat Apr 01, 2006 8:37 pm

I just read the book Whale Music by Paul Quarrington for my English Lit class. There were a few indirect and direct connections to Ginsberg and "Howl" throughout the book. It was a quirky and fun read. :cool:

DeppInTheHeartOfTexas · **Posted:** Sun Apr 02, 2006 12:03 pm

I haven't read Whale Music, cait, but I like quirky reads! :cool:

cait · **Posted:** Sun Apr 02, 2006 12:49 pm

DeppInTheHeartOfTexas wrote:

I haven't read Whale Music, cait, but I like quirky reads! :cool:

I do too. I just finished writing a paper on the book a couple days ago.

gilly · **Posted:** Tue Apr 04, 2006 7:17 am

I must admit to finding it hard too, Endora..even tried reading it out loud,but I couldn't grasp it. :-O

..Maybe reading the esays will help :cool:

Boo-Radley · **Posted:** Wed Apr 12, 2006 5:04 pm

Thank you Charlene, one more for the list. :writer2:

Live in Depp
Boo

Howl; Fifty Years Later

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