He hit the San Francisco scene in 1954, happy to reacquaint with friends Gregory Corso, Jack Kerouac, and Burroughs (all of whom are associated with the upper echelon of Beat writers).

Ginsberg believed this vision symbolized the attainment of universal harmony-a harmony that superseded status quo notions of humanity, poetry, beauty, etc. One of the most seminal moments of Ginsberg’s life occurred during the summer of 1948, when he had a vision of William Blake reciting poetry. Ginsberg attended Columbia University, where he met William Burroughs (author of Naked Lunch) and began rebelling against the educational system (the school briefly expelled him for etching obscenities on his dorm room window). Williams instructed the young Ginsberg, who was fond of emulation, to write in his own voice and style, and to draw inspiration from everyday life. Ginsberg began his education in Paterson, New Jersey where he met and befriended the famed poet William Carlos Williams (who would later write the introduction to Howl and Other Poems). Ginsberg eventually authorized her lobotomy-a decision her doctor recommended but one that wracked Ginsberg with guilt for the rest of his life (the poem “Kaddish” pays tribute to Naomi’s life and to Ginsberg’s struggle with her legacy). Naomi also had schizophrenia she spent much of her later years institutionalized. Ginsberg absorbed his parents’ obsessions-most notably, his father’s love of the written word and his mother’s encouragement of radical politics. His Russian Jewish mother, Naomi, was a communist, and his father, Louis, was a poet and high school teacher. It remains one of the most well-known poems from the Beat Generation to this day.Īllen Ginsberg (1926-1997) was born in Newark, New Jersey, on June 3, 1926. Despite the dark vision, “Howl” also offers hope and solidarity through rebirth and celebration. Themes include the horrors of US capitalism, mental illness, heteronormativity, gay pride, embracing quotidian beauty, authenticity, and more. Regardless of one’s stance on the matter, “Howl” paints a dark vision of America: Angels in mortal form search for meaning and connection while traversing a dystopian country run by bloodthirsty capitalism personified. Others argued (and still do) Ginsberg eventually bought into the very system that “Howl” vehemently critiques. Early detractors of “Howl” took issue with what they perceived as a loosening of morals inherent to Beat poetry, of which “Howl” is perhaps the most well-known artifact. Ginsberg eventually became a household name, to the point his public figure often overshadowed his prophetic yet shocking poems, and even caused some to label him a sellout.

Ginsberg poem howl