Allen Ginsberg

Pioneering American poet, central figure of the Beat Generation, known for 'Howl'.

Chronology: 1926-06-03 – 1997-04-05

Origins & Early Life

Irwin Allen Ginsberg (; June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet and writer. As a student at Columbia University in the 1940s, he befriended Lucien Carr, William S. Burroughs, and Jack Kerouac, forming the core of the Beat Generation. He vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism, and sexual repression, and he embodied various aspects of this counterculture with his views on drugs, sex, multiculturalism, hostility to bureaucracy, and openness to Eastern religions.

Pivotal Works & Achievements

Best known for his poem "Howl", Ginsberg denounced what he saw as the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity in the United States. San Francisco police and US Customs seized copies of "Howl" in 1956 and a 1957 obscenity trial attracted widespread publicity due to the poem's language and descriptions of heterosexual and homosexual sex at a time when sodomy laws criminalized male homosexual acts in every state. The poem reflected Ginsberg's own sexuality and his relationships with men, including Peter Orlovsky, his lifelong partner. Judge Clayton W. Horn ruled that "Howl" was not obscene, asking: "Would there be any freedom of press or speech if one must reduce his vocabulary to vapid innocuous euphemisms...

Enduring Legacy & Impact

The historical impact and works continue to influence the modern world.

Source: Wikipedia