Howl and Other Poems

Allen Ginsberg's Howl and Other Poems is a quick and incredible read.

The series of poems collected in these 57 pages is really moving and definitely a text that represents the era in which it was made (published in 1956). Ginsberg represents an era of writers, poets, and artists that I and many of my peers are nostalgic for. This Beat era of anti-war protests, left-leaning ideology, sexual revolution, and artistic brilliance is hard to match at any other time in history. The Beatniks, who I have found myself fascinated with recently, represented "counterculture" in American youth, and not only involved authors like Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac but also inspired future punk legends and, of course, the one and only Patti Smith.

The introduction by William Carlos Williams--what an awesome name--gives a great glimpse into Ginsberg's life and the context of Howl and the other poems featured in this book. The writing itself both on Williams's and especially on Ginsberg's parts is amazing. It makes me want to write poetry and prose. The final and my favorite line from the introduction reads,

"Hold back the edges of your gowns, Ladies, we are going through Hell" (8).

I mean, come on! How awesome does that sound? But, I wondered, what is Williams's definition of Hell? Ginsberg certainly has had experiences that would put him through Hell. In the introduction, Williams even says,

"Say what you will, he proves to us, in spite of the most debasing experiences that life can offer a man, the spirit of love survives to ennoble our lives if we have the wit and the courage and the faith--and the art! to persist" (8).

Ginsberg created serious controversy with this poem, because many readers (especially in the government) believed his content was obscene. He covers topics previously taboo in literature, like explicit descriptions of sex (especially controversial as it pertained to homosexuality at the time, as Ginsberg was gay) and drug use, all of which stem from his own life experiences, which were common among his generation. Perhaps this is the so-called "Hell" that has been forewarned in the introduction. But this Hell is real and experienced by many, not in an afterlife but under the government and the capitalist system. Though not a Communist himself, Ginsberg had positive relationships with Communism, but he found that the Communist and Capitalist governments of the world in his time were often equally violent and destructive. Still, his openness to Communism was controversial in an era defined by propaganda, the Red Scare, and the looming Cold War.

Each poem in this collection is great, specifically because of its structure and subject matter. Ginsberg uses repetition and creative phrasing to tell a story, paint a picture of his generation in gritty New York, California, etc. My favorite poem in the series is entitled America, and for me this was the most personal and political poem Ginsberg included. The first line reads,

"America I've given you all and now I'm nothing" (39).

Another great section from later in the poem reads,

"America when I was seven momma took me to Communist Cell meetings they sold us garbanzos a handful per ticket a ticket costs a nickel and the speeches were free everybody was angelic and sentimental about the workers it was all so sincere you have no idea what a good thing the party was in 1835 Scott Nearing was a grand old man a real mensch Mother Bloor made me cry I once saw Israel Amter plain. Everybody must have been a spy.

America you don't really want to go to war.

America it's them bad Russians.

Them Russians them Russians and them Chinamen. And them Russians" (42).

As it was just Labor Day, which has its own Communist-related history (or, in other interpretations, a history attempted to be as far distanced from Communism as possible), it is interesting to look back at the Cold War/Red Scare and the reactions to it from artists. I recommend you google the references in this section, as well as throughout the book if you read it! Of course, many New York Jews had been leftists since the before 1930s, and the art movements of the past have generally been progressive. However, Ginsberg's criticism of America in this poem is representative of his signature style. I really loved his writing and the topics he covered.

In reading about Ginsberg's life, I am overwhelmed by his impact on art culture and the many other works that I know and love today. His later life involved illness and struggle, but he continued to write until his last days. One anecdote I read was that, upon knowing he would pass, he called everyone in his address book, including Johnny Depp. People from all walks of life, including everyone's idol Patti Smith, attended his funeral. His final poem, entitled Things I'll Not Do (Nostalgias) and written on March 30, 1997--he died on April 5, 1997--is a list of things he will never do in his life, and is extremely emotional to read for me. I highly recommend reading Howl and then reading that poem.

This book was incredible and it has really impacted me.