About
Allen Ginsberg, a major figure of the Beat Generation, was born in Newark, New Jersey. A Columbia graduate, he moved to San Francisco where he wrote his landmark poem 'Howl' (1955), first read at the Six Gallery. The publication of 'Howl and Other Poems' (1956) led to an obscenity trial, which ended with a ruling that the work had 'redeeming social importance'. Ginsberg also wrote 'Kaddish' (1961), a poem about his mother's mental illness. An anti-Vietnam War activist, he coined the term 'flower power'. He won the National Book Award in 1974 for 'The Fall of America' and taught at Brooklyn College. He died in New York in 1997.
* 1926-06-03 — † 1997-04-05
Major works
- Howl and Other Poems (1956)poetry collection
- Kaddish and Other Poems 1958–1960 (1961)poetry collection
- The Fall of America: Poems of These States, 1965–1971 (1973)poetry collection
- Collected Poems 1947–1980 (1984)poetry collection
- Cosmopolitan Greetings (1995)poetry collection
Key milestones
- 1955Public reading of 'Howl' at the Six Gallery in San Francisco on October 7.
- 1974Receives the National Book Award for 'The Fall of America'.
- 1986Appointed Distinguished Professor of English at Brooklyn College.
Themes
Beat GenerationSpirituality and mysticismPolitics and protestSexuality and freedomPersonal experience and confession
Sources: catdir.loc.gov · britannica.com · allenginsberg.org
