Allen Ginsberg

Allen Ginsberg was born on June 3, 1926, in Paterson, New Jersey, to Naomi Ginsberg, a Russian immigrant and member of the Communist Party USA, and Louis Ginsberg, a lyric poet and schoolteacher. He is one of the most prominent figures of Beat literature, best known for his collections "Howl and Other Poems" (1956) and "Kaddish and Other Poems" (1961). Reflecting on his personal history, he wrote: "High school in Paterson until 17, Columbia College, merchant marine, Texas and Denver, photocopy operator, Times Square, friends behind bars, dishwasher, book reviews, Mexico City, market research, Satori in Harlem, Yucatan and Chiapas 1954, West Coast for three years. Later journey to the Arctic Sea, Tangier, Venice, Amsterdam, Paris, readings at Oxford Harvard Columbia Chicago, dropped out, wrote 'Kaddish' in 1959, recorded a tape to leave something behind and briefly disappeared to the East. Carl Solomon, to whom 'Howl' is addressed, is an intuitive Dadaist from the Bronx and prose poet." During the Vietnam War, he actively participated in anti-war demonstrations, and throughout the 1970s and 1980s, he was heavily involved in political activism, supporting gay rights, opposing nuclear weapons, and advocating for environmental protection. Later, when he was elected a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters, he sought to promote the entirety of Beat literature in this capacity. In 1986, he became an honorary professor of literature at Brooklyn College. In 1993, he was honored by the French Minister of Culture, Jack Lang, with the title Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres ("Knight of Arts and Letters"). He passed away in New York City on April 5, 1997.