"synopsis" may belong to another edition of this title.
Bill Morgan, Allen Ginsberg's literary archivist for many years, is the author of a biography of Ginsberg and editor of The Book of Martyrdom and Artifice, Ginsberg's early journals. He lives in New York City.
January, 11/24/08
“Morgan has—once again—done a terrific job with Ginsberg’s words. In many ways, what we have here is the very heart of the Beat Generation. A wonderful book.”
PopMatters.com, 12/2/08
“We are served the spectrum of Ginsberg’s many moods and interests and his who’s-who guide of a rolodex...Some of the letters from the early ‘50s, pre-Howl, provide remarkable insight into the poems written around the same time...What The Letters offers that previous editions of Ginsbergalia, including the two biographies that have come out recently, cannot is the raw glimpses into the poet’s love life.”
Ink19.com, 12/08
“A superb collection that mirrors the beauty, humor, and energy of Ginsberg's work, and will serve well those who entered, and maybe never left, their Beat stage.”
Nextbook.org, 1/25/09
“Reading The Letters of Allen Ginsberg is an unexpectedly moving experience...His letters show that...there was something rare and genuine about Allen Ginsberg. He may have been a fool, but he was a holy fool; and next to his holiness, the maturity and realism of his critics can look a bit unlovely.”
HistoryWire.com, 1/24/09
“[An] extraordinary collection.”
Washington Blade, 8/22/08
“A historical epistolary novel...A guide to the Beat generation.”
New York Post, 9/14/08
“Full of wonderful tidbits about Ginsberg.”
San Francisco Chronicle, 9/20/08
“This wonderfully rich collection of 165 letters from the 1940s until the poet's death in 1997, put together by his longtime archivist, Bill Morgan, gives us a firsthand view of the man behind the poems, someone of whom it can be truly said that the personal was political...This remarkable collection by someone who perhaps invented the concept of ‘oversharing’ long before it became fashionable, reminds us of why he mattered then, and still does now.”
Details, October 2008
“Morgan has catalogued 165 of the poet-activist’s letters to people you’d expect and some you wouldn’t.”
USA Today’s Pop Candy, 9/26/08
“Good stuff!”
Bookviews.com, 10/08
“Will surely interest anyone who read [Ginsberg’s] work.”
Magill Book Reviews
[The letters] indicate just how thoroughly Ginsberg often thought about a subject or situation, and just how much control he had of the rhetorical devices which make non-fiction prose an informative and illuminating form...A fascinating glimpse into an important part of American cultural history, as well as a kind of autobiographical account of the poet’s primary political and aesthetic concerns...[Morgan’s] concise, knowledgeable explanations and contextual formulations are invaluable in leading the reader, even one familiar with Ginsberg’s life, to a more complete understanding of the writer’s thoughts and emotional condition at the time of the writing. Ginsberg’s life has been adequately covered in various biographies and commentaries, but this volume adds to and complements all of them, a compilation of enduring interest to anyone interested in the poet’s life and times.”
Electric Review, September/October 2008
“The art of Ginsberg’s letters is captured in stunning form...Indispensable to all serious students of literature...A book that embraces the wonders of communication, each selection reveling in the sheer excitement of the connection...Followers of the Beat Generation will find countless hours of enjoyment here.”
Reference & Research Book News, November 2008
“From topics as personal as a recommendation of medicine for dysentery to Kerouac, to his excitement at discovering the painter Francis Bacon, to frank comments on his own work and that of others, the letters are captivating. Through them we see not only into the mind of a seminal poet but also into the society that shaped him.”
Curled Up with a Good Book, 10/08
“Since [Ginsberg’s] friends and correspondents included some of the great figures of his times, this epistolary collection has a deep footprint...If you want to understand the Beat generation, the hippies, the intellectual drug scene, the intellectual gay scene and poetry, this is a must-read.”
InfoDad.com, 10/30/08
“To Ginsberg fans and scholars, his letters provide insight into his personality, his creative process, and his works.”
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Book Description Paperback. Condition: Brand New. 160 pages. 7.76x4.72x0.43 inches. In Stock. Seller Inventory # __0571238106
Book Description Condition: New. 2008. Main - Poet to Poet. paperback. Allen Ginsberg (1926-97) was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a poet-teacher father and Russian emigre mother. When "Howl and Other Poems" was impounded by San Francisco customs in 1956, the subsequent trial for obscenity catapulted Ginsberg and his publisher City Lights to national fame and helped to define the Beat Generation. Editor(s): Ford, Mark. Series: Poet to Poet. Num Pages: 160 pages. BIC Classification: 1KBB; 2AB; DSBH; DSC. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 120 x 11. Weight in Grams: 146. . . . . . Seller Inventory # V9780571238101
Book Description Condition: New. 2008. Main - Poet to Poet. paperback. Allen Ginsberg (1926-97) was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a poet-teacher father and Russian emigre mother. When "Howl and Other Poems" was impounded by San Francisco customs in 1956, the subsequent trial for obscenity catapulted Ginsberg and his publisher City Lights to national fame and helped to define the Beat Generation. Editor(s): Ford, Mark. Series: Poet to Poet. Num Pages: 160 pages. BIC Classification: 1KBB; 2AB; DSBH; DSC. Category: (G) General (US: Trade). Dimension: 198 x 120 x 11. Weight in Grams: 146. . . . . . Books ship from the US and Ireland. Seller Inventory # V9780571238101
Book Description Condition: New. Seller Inventory # 5493974-n
Book Description Taschenbuch. Condition: Neu. Neuware - Allen Ginsberg (1926-97) was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a poet-teacher father and Russian emigre mother. When 'Howl and Other Poems' was impounded by San Francisco customs in 1956, the subsequent trial for obscenity catapulted Ginsberg and his publisher City Lights to national fame and helped to define the Beat Generation. 320 pp. Deutsch. Seller Inventory # 9780571238101
Book Description Condition: NEW. Seller Inventory # NW9780571238101
Book Description Condition: New. Allen Ginsberg (1926-97) was born in Newark, New Jersey, to a poet-teacher father and Russian emigre mother. When Howl and Other Poems was impounded by San Francisco customs in 1956, the subsequent trial for obscenity catapulted Ginsberg and his publisher. Seller Inventory # 594785085