Howl and Other Poems

By Allen Ginsberg and William Carlos Williams

'Ginsberg could terrify the authorities ... a literary pioneer' - The New York Times

Beat movement icon and visionary poet, Allen Ginsberg broke boundaries with his fearless, pyrotechnic verse. The apocalyptic 'Howl' became the subject of an obscenity trial when it was first published in 1956 - its vindication was

• Language: English
• Publisher: Mercer Editions
• Release date: May 8, 2023
• ISBN: 9781922491619

Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg was a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters as well as a winner of the National Book Award for Poetry. He was born in Newark, New Jersey, in 1926, and died in New York City in 1997.

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About the Author

Allen Ginsberg was born in Newark, New Jersey in 1926. As a Columbia College student in the 1940s he began close friendships with William S. Burroughs, Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso and Jack Kerouac. He became associated with the Beat movement and the 1950s San Francisco Renaissance poets Gary Snyder and Michael McClure. After jobs as a labourer, market researcher and sailor, Ginsberg published his first volume, Howl and Other Poems, in 1956.

Howl overcame censorship trials to become one of the most widely read poems of the century, translated into twenty-eight languages. In 1965 Ginsberg was, in a matter of weeks, crowned Prague May King, expelled by the Czech police and placed on the FBI's Dangerous Security list. Though he travelled widely, teaching in India, China, and Western and Eastern Europe, his home for most of his life was New York's Lower East Side.

A member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, Allen Ginsberg was awarded the medal of Chevalier de l'Ordre des Arts et Lettres by the French Minister of Culture in 1993, honoured as Harvard Phi Beta Kappa Poet 1994 and co-founded the Jack Kerouac School of Disembodied Poetics at the Naropa Institute, the first accredited Buddhist college in the western world. Ginsberg died in New York on 5 April 1997, eight days after being diagnosed seriously ill.

Colophon

Published by Mercer Editions.

First published by City Light Books in 1956.

This edition first published in 2023 © Mercer Editions.

all rights reserved.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form by any means electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording or otherwise without the prior consent of the publishers.

Ginsberg, Allen [1926 — 1997], author.

Howl and Other Poems / Allen Ginsberg.

isbn: 978-1-922491-60-2 (paperback)

isbn: 978-1-922491-61-9 (ebook)

Book design © Mercer Editions

Dedication

To —

Jack Kerouac, new Buddha of American prose, who spit forth intelligence into eleven books written in hall the number of

Reviews for Howl and Other Poems

[librolindsay · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night!

[zoes_human · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

I'm not a huge fan of either poetry or the Beats, but this man never fails to move me.

[weeta-3 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Bill the Cat mentioned he also hadn't ever read Howl, so I read it to him. 4 stars, he says.

[lamotamant · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 fallen out of its face, soon-to-be-toothless
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...

[sylak_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

Although I couldn't remember a specific moment in my life when I personally had taken the time to pick up and read Ginsberg myself, I think, that as with so many other important works of cultural literature, I must have somehow absorbed much of it through my skin over the years.I had taken for granted that I liked Ginsberg.But had I actually read him or not?This situation clearly needed to be resolved.So, the other day I picked up a copy of Howl and started to read.Immediately, I was reminded of the first time I read Dylan Thomas' Under Milk Wood, and I knew from the first few lines that this was definitely my scene. Quickly, my over-active imagination started playing cinema to the plain text which my eyes perceived.After a few pages, I got greedy though; and decided to see if I could track down a recording of Ginsberg himself reading the poem out loud. In hindsight, that was probably my great sin.I think that by this stage I had hyped the whole experience up to such a degree of spiritual ecstasy, that if the word of God had flown from his lips carried forth by a choir of angels or sirens sang sweet verses to my ears it would have been a let down.Ginsberg's reading by no means lessens my appreciation of his work, and like I mentioned, my unrealistically high personal expectations of the mans own voice somehow echoing the power of his verse is my own fault not his. Still, it was not all bad listening to his recitals.Ginsberg's reading of 'America' was much more revealing to listen to than I got from simply reading it to myself the first time.By the end, I both enjoyed listening to him and reading the book of poems myself.'Howl'' was everything I'd anticipated it to be, dark and full of melancholy - just what I'd wanted.'America' on the other hand was full of cheek and wit and had me laughing out loud!All in all, I can now say with certainly that "I like Ginsberg", what's more, I'll be seeking out some of his other works, and I'll definitely be reading 'Howl' again before this month is through.

[tiffanyak_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[stahl2ricco · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 underwear - you're free!

[auntieclio · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[dianalynn5287-1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[regularguy5mb · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[hadriantheblind · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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.

[librarybrandy · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[palaverofbirds · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[gbill_7 · Rating: 2 out of 5 stars]

“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; 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.

[kaionvin · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[uh8myzen_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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.

[guhlitz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[evadare_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[seanj_26336 · Rating: 1 out of 5 stars]

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.

[ztutz · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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.

[cinesnail88 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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?

[jakeofalltrades · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[whitewavedarling · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[abirdman_1 · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

"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.

[latefordinner · Rating: 5 out of 5 stars]

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 chanting and playing the harmonium. Jack stumbles along behind swigging on a bottle of cheap burgundy.

[thatsfresh_1 · Rating: 3 out of 5 stars]

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 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.

[heidilove_1 · Rating: 4 out of 5 stars]

and thus it began