Status
Available
Genres
Collection
Publication
San Francisco, City Lights Books, 1967. Later printing
Description
From the Publisher: The prophetic poem that launched a generation when it was first published in 1965 is here presented in a commemorative fortieth Anniversary Edition. When the book arrived from its British printers, it was seized almost immediately by U.S. Customs, and shortly thereafter the San Francisco police arrested its publisher and editor, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, together with City Lights Bookstore manager Shigeyoshi Murao. The two of them were charged with disseminating obscene literature, and the case went to trial in the municipal court of Judge Clayton Horn. A parade of distinguished literary and academic witnesses persuaded the judge that the title poem was indeed not obscene and that it had "redeeming social significance." Thus was Howl and Other Poems freed to become the single most influential poetic work of the post World War II era.… (more)
User reviews
LibraryThing member Evadare
To really, really, really get the impact of this, you need to find someone with a good voice and stage presence and mark off as much time as is necessary to perform it ALOUD.
Poetry is actually the art form that straddles the line between literature and music, and no one embodied that fusion more
As an aural experience, 'Howl' is one of the greatest musical pieces I've ever known. Reading it silently on the page is like skimming a musical score without hearing it played.
Poetry is actually the art form that straddles the line between literature and music, and no one embodied that fusion more
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purely than the Beats, and 'Howl' is probably the single best enactment of this principle. As an aural experience, 'Howl' is one of the greatest musical pieces I've ever known. Reading it silently on the page is like skimming a musical score without hearing it played.
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LibraryThing member Iacobus
This poem is a true classic. Its power lies not in its allusions, but in the raw power of its poetry. It is a work of language, a work of feeling, a work of sound, of music. Yes, as other reviewers have said, this is a work to read aloud. If you read this in a crowd, at least try to hear the words
If the poem leaves you mystified, you've failed to feel it. Certainly, a knowledge of the Beats and the US in the 1950s deepens appreciation. But it's not a work of the head.
Allen Ginsberg - a crazed prophet of his time. As with all art, you don't need to agree with the artist to appreciate his creation. And for that extra frisson - do what I did, and buy it from City Lights in San Francisco.
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out loud in your head. If the poem leaves you mystified, you've failed to feel it. Certainly, a knowledge of the Beats and the US in the 1950s deepens appreciation. But it's not a work of the head.
Allen Ginsberg - a crazed prophet of his time. As with all art, you don't need to agree with the artist to appreciate his creation. And for that extra frisson - do what I did, and buy it from City Lights in San Francisco.
Show Less
LibraryThing member regularguy5mb
I want to read this aloud, shout it from the rooftops; just as it should be. Ginsberg lays out a world in which nothing is alright, everything is falling apart, and we really haven't gotten much better since then. Howl is one of those works that is polarizing, you either love it or hate it. If
Also included in this book are America (which is one of my all-time favorites, especially as read aloud by Ginsberg) and A Supermarket in California (in which Ginsberg follows Walt Whitman through a modern American establishment). Ginsberg was a huge Whitman fan, imitating his style quite often.
Even if you don't end up liking any of the poems in this book, it's still worth reading. Ginsberg is one of those poets that helps you figure out things about yourself.
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you're unsure, read it again. I find it rare that anybody falls in the middle on Howl, because it is so visceral, it will either turn you into a beat, or turn your stomach. This is Ginsberg at the top of his game.Also included in this book are America (which is one of my all-time favorites, especially as read aloud by Ginsberg) and A Supermarket in California (in which Ginsberg follows Walt Whitman through a modern American establishment). Ginsberg was a huge Whitman fan, imitating his style quite often.
Even if you don't end up liking any of the poems in this book, it's still worth reading. Ginsberg is one of those poets that helps you figure out things about yourself.
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LibraryThing member cinesnail88
Having loved Allen Ginsberg for as long as I have, I can't believe I put off reading Howl until now. Of course, it did help to be able to buy it directly from City Lights, but still, there's no excuse for how long this took me. Read it, love it, what else can I say?
LibraryThing member librarybrandy
Maybe I'm just too old for this. I might have loved it in high school, possibly even college--or maybe not, because I've never really cared for beat poetry.
I can see the cultural Importance (yes, capital I) of Howl, but that doesn't mean it did much for me. It reads as a long list of all the
The other pieces in this collection were a little better--I even almost liked Transcription of Organ Music. The non-Howl poems were slightly brighter, more hopeful, and lacked the dark, cooler-than-thou, subterranean coffeehouse vibe.
Hey, I said I don't like beat poetry.
I can see the cultural Importance (yes, capital I) of Howl, but that doesn't mean it did much for me. It reads as a long list of all the
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could-have-beens he's met who have been destroyed by the cruel, cruel world. The second part is mostly a rant on how industrialization has destroyed, will destroy, everyone and everything. Part three--I'm with you in Rockland--seems to come to terms with the preceding sections, but still isn't exactly bright and cheery. It's almost like a really demented mash note. The other pieces in this collection were a little better--I even almost liked Transcription of Organ Music. The non-Howl poems were slightly brighter, more hopeful, and lacked the dark, cooler-than-thou, subterranean coffeehouse vibe.
Hey, I said I don't like beat poetry.
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LibraryThing member guhlitz
I read this at a Borders in Mission Valley circa 2003 while drinking one of Border's fantastic lattes. I sat down in one of the cozy corners made available to the customers who choose to read a little before the purchase. Being that I was extremely familiar with Ginsberg at the time and heard much
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about the controversial poem, I was instantly headlong into the reading. Approximately forty pages in length, the continuity and stamina of the writing moves it along quite quickly. The colorization of the words and content were amazing, erotic, and often times bringing images of pain and anguish into the heart which desires. I didn't purchase the poem on this day andf walked out of the comfortable Borders that day feeling accomplished, with only a touch of shame. Show Less
LibraryThing member ztutz
My college roommate's favorite poem - typically recited loudly when weaving home of a Saturday night. Still pithy, carefully crafted, and wonderful to speak aloud.
LibraryThing member TiffanyAK
This is definitely a must-read, thanks to its great significance in the realm of literature, but is also very strange and hard to evaluate. It's definitely unlike anything you ever read before, in an awesome way. There will likely be some parts that you love the sound and rhythm of, as well as some
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parts that weird you out. In any case, you will come away with a greater appreciation for the significance of what you have read than you could ever have by just simply hearing about it. Show Less
LibraryThing member Jakeofalltrades
The book of poems they tried to ban, it's still a pleasure to read after all these years. The title poem, "Howl" is a massive hit to the senses, with both divine and earthly imagery that inspires. Other poems in the collection, such as "America" are a critique of consumer society, ahead of his time
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and still relevant in the 21st Century. A great introduction to Ginsberg's works even though the poet himself did not regard "Howl" as his best poem. Show Less
LibraryThing member latefordinner
An American love poem, prayer and lament, as powerfull now as when it was written. Our children are still sacrificed to Moloch. The Machinery of Night is still in place digital, darker and more dangerous. Neil Cassidy's ghost walks along counting railroad ties in eternity, followed by Allen
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chanting and playing the harmonium. Jack stumbles along behind swigging on a bottle of cheap burgundy. Show Less
LibraryThing member whitewavedarling
The poems here are classics and wonderful reads, but this isn't the edition I'd recommend. Aside from being an awkward size that will easily get lost on your shelp (or even your desk), for someone who isn't familiar with Ginsberg's work, footnotes are nearly a necessity, and here you don't have
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them. This certainly isn't the most convenient copy of his poetry, but if you simply want the words and already have a loose background on him or the beats in general, this is all you need to feel the poems themselves, which are classic, threatening, and still powerful. Show Less
LibraryThing member abirdman
"I saw the best minds of my generation, destroyed by madness, starving, hysterical, naked"
No more needs to be said. One poem that defined the fifties and sixties for many, including myself.
No more needs to be said. One poem that defined the fifties and sixties for many, including myself.
LibraryThing member ThatsFresh
I was bought this book by my uncle as a gift while on a day trip to San Francisco thsi past spring. We visited the City Lights Bookstore and I was taught a little about the beat generation and all the radical poets coming to the bookstore to publish their works since at the time, no one else
I read the book in one day, and even though I tried to read slowly and get in tune with the language, I found it hard. The book brought up people I didnt know and social ideas I dont know the history of.
I didnt really enjoy this book, but I know it's because I know nothing of all the history behind it. I'd love to read up a bit more on all the subjects this book covers so that I can read it again in 5 or 10 years and read it with a better understanding.
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would've dared publish them. I read the book in one day, and even though I tried to read slowly and get in tune with the language, I found it hard. The book brought up people I didnt know and social ideas I dont know the history of.
I didnt really enjoy this book, but I know it's because I know nothing of all the history behind it. I'd love to read up a bit more on all the subjects this book covers so that I can read it again in 5 or 10 years and read it with a better understanding.
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LibraryThing member AuntieClio
Oh, my beloved Howl. After each reading I find more depth, more which speaks to me. Allen Ginsberg has found a permanent place in my heart.
LibraryThing member Stahl-Ricco
While I didn't understand every word, I felt the power of them all, and was strongly moved. The opening line of "Howl" is thrilling and the historic signifigance of it is overwhelming! The rawness if the language! And the other poems rolled me too! Such beautiful power! Holy Allen - forget your
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underwear - you're free! Show Less
LibraryThing member seanj
I thought it was cool and edgy when I was younger, but it doesn't do much for me anymore. I still like "Supermarket in California." And "Howl" is a great title.
LibraryThing member HowlAtCLP
This book has been in print continuously from City Lights since 1956.
LibraryThing member reedchr3
Howl is my favorite poem. There's other good stuff here, but Ginsberg's account of the best minds of his generation being destroyed by (everything he can fit into the lines that follow that paraphrasing of the poem's opening) have struck a stranger chord with me than any other poetry that I've
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read. I would love to see students discuss the relationship between obscenity and art, but once again, class room application of this one would be risky. Show Less
LibraryThing member uh8myzen
This poem blew my mind and to this day, the opening lines of this poem are among my favorite in all of poetic cannon. Ginsberg was a poetic genius who like Kerouac, was among the great chroniclers of the beat generation.
LibraryThing member kaionvin
Boo hoo the plight of myself
and all my cool friends who are so brilliant here's some
literary references so you know
and disenfranchised
and we take drugs and wander about and dammit we're
iconoclasts and therefore don't have to write lines
that actually sound good or end poems before we
our positions or anything because reading a poem should
feel like being stuck at bus stop with *that* dude
and so we Howl our dissatisfaction well at least as much
as you can even after you become a classic.
and all my cool friends who are so brilliant here's some
literary references so you know
and disenfranchised
and we take drugs and wander about and dammit we're
iconoclasts and therefore don't have to write lines
that actually sound good or end poems before we
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overstate our positions or anything because reading a poem should
feel like being stuck at bus stop with *that* dude
and so we Howl our dissatisfaction well at least as much
as you can even after you become a classic.
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LibraryThing member gbill
“I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix…” And so begins the poem “Howl” by Allen Ginsberg, a rambling, drug-inspired beat classic. I want to love it but can’t;
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I recommend Kerouac’s prose instead. This edition also includes several of Ginsberg’s other works from the mid-fifties, such as “America” (“America when will end the human war? Go fuck yourself with your atom bomb.”); these are also hit-and-miss. Show Less
LibraryThing member palaverofbirds
Dutifully constructed and perverse rants against society. Celebration of what was cult and strange in it's time. Wheels over introspective poets who compare a snowy winter's garden to the status of their soul - boring. The world needs more Ginsbergs.
LibraryThing member DianaLynn5287
Arguably one of the best poems to come out of the 20th century. Along with many well written other works, this book is a treasure to have.
LibraryThing member lamotamant
I'm not sure it gets any better than Sunflower Sutra ingested while read aloud.
"and the gray Sunflower poised against the sunset, crackly bleak
and dusty with the smut and smog and smoke of olden
locomotives in its eye-
corolla of bleary spikes pushed down and broken like a battered
crown, seeds
mouth of sunny air, sunrays obliterated on its hairy head
like a dried wire spiderweb,
leaves stuck out like arms out of the stem, gestures from the
sawdust root, broke pieces of plaster fallen out of the black
twigs, a dead fly in its ear,
Unholy battered old thing you were, my sunflower O my soul,
I loved you then!...
How many flies bussed round you innocent of your grim, while
you cursed the heavens of the railroad and your flower soul?
Poor dead flower? when did you forget you were a flower?...
-We're not our skin of grime, we're not our dread bleak dusty
imageless locomotive, we're all beautiful gold sunflowers
inside, we're blessed by our own seed & golden hairy naked
accomplishment-bodies growing into mad black formal sun-
flowers in the sunset,..."
I can't even sit back from this poem and call it beautiful or wise because they're just too simplistic. They merit something akin to soul-soaked, edible...
"and the gray Sunflower poised against the sunset, crackly bleak
and dusty with the smut and smog and smoke of olden
locomotives in its eye-
corolla of bleary spikes pushed down and broken like a battered
crown, seeds
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fallen out of its face, soon-to-be-toothlessmouth of sunny air, sunrays obliterated on its hairy head
like a dried wire spiderweb,
leaves stuck out like arms out of the stem, gestures from the
sawdust root, broke pieces of plaster fallen out of the black
twigs, a dead fly in its ear,
Unholy battered old thing you were, my sunflower O my soul,
I loved you then!...
How many flies bussed round you innocent of your grim, while
you cursed the heavens of the railroad and your flower soul?
Poor dead flower? when did you forget you were a flower?...
-We're not our skin of grime, we're not our dread bleak dusty
imageless locomotive, we're all beautiful gold sunflowers
inside, we're blessed by our own seed & golden hairy naked
accomplishment-bodies growing into mad black formal sun-
flowers in the sunset,..."
I can't even sit back from this poem and call it beautiful or wise because they're just too simplistic. They merit something akin to soul-soaked, edible...
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LibraryThing member HadriantheBlind
I might have considered this 'raw and intense' once upon a time. But now I am increasingly starting to think that manufactured drama and phony rebellions and the whole era of the 1950s-60s are becoming as banal and useless as the materialistic society it hates. What is to be done.
Language
Local notes
non-circulating
Other editions
Howl and other poems by Allen Ginsberg (Paper Book)