Word: ginsberg
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Night, the hour of poets, on a windy street in the part of New York City where academe meets Harlem. Outside a nondescript building, a man calls to an acquaintance. The second replies, "Allen Ginsberg reading Howl? It's tempting, but . . ." He walks...
Most wait quietly, unsure of what to expect. Ginsberg is reading his epic poem of outrage and lament to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its publication. Media announcements have recalled the public theatrics of the poet, an ostentatious non-comformist, a self-described "Hebraic Melvillean bardic breath." He drew together the strident Beat Generation of the 1950s, led the flower children of the 1960s into Eastern religions, hymned the antinuclear movement of the 1970s. Throughout, he sustained his vernacular yet visionary voice-marked, said one admiring fellow poet, by a "note of hysteria that hit the taste of the young...
...quite a persona. Whether the name is Kluckhorn, Perlmutter, or Ginsberg, the same character resurfaces. He is a semi-suave ectomorph who will chase any nubile starlet, whether it requires a descent into a sea of polyester leisure suits at the Americana Hotel or a lengthy sojourn in a Ukrainian cafeteria in the east twenties. Though craven in the utmost, he dashes off to Djibouti or Jakarta at a moments notice, spewing out words along the way like "henbane," "anchor," "parlous," "jardiniere" as well as an occasional "zounds" or "sweet-patootie". A cultural sponge that oozes erudition and arcana...
During this period, when Uspensky was both translating and trying to get his stories published, a group of young writers and artists began gathering in his apartment. These gatherings soon grew into an unofficial literary salon. Alexander Ginsberg often joined the discussions and at these sessions Uspensky first met and became friends with many of the men who later led the dissident movement. Sometimes the Russians brought along American students who were studying at the University of Leningrad. Among these was an expert in medieval Russian history--Edward L. Keenan, professor of History and dean of the Graduate School...
...years after his release from the camp, Uspensky lived in self-imposed exile outside of Leningrad. But after Ginsberg's arrest his friends in the dissident movement induced him to begin acting. He started by gathering money to defend the arrested and support their families. Gradually, he became more and more involved in protests, signing letters to the government, and even holding press conferences with foreign journalists. Eventually he participated in the dissident movement at the highest level, working with men like Andrei Sakharov and General Greronko...