We’d be amiss if we didn’t mention the recent publication of the “new”, “losspant” Kerouac first novel, The Sea is My Brother. Penguin Classics have posthumously released it. Here‘s David Barnett’s review in the Sunday Independent and here‘s Stephen Bates and Sarah Churchwell in The Guardian. Further notices and reviews may be read here and here .
Back to Allen – and his 1985 interview with John May, We draw your attention to this important document. May continues to be a dedicated Beat scholar (see his recent “thumbs-up” review of Bill Morgan’s The Typewriter is Holy – high – and justified – praise – “For my money..the single best history of the Beat Generation that I have ever read”).
An inventive initiative in Finland, yes Finland, Kai Ekholm of the National Library will be presenting Allen in the coming weeks as his contribution to “the world’s first Banned Books video calender” (see more about it here)
Unlike Rita Dove, actively excluding him – boo! – (from The Penguin Anthology of 20th Century American Poetry)? – as if that really matters!
Missed (but belatedly noted) – the “world premier”, this past Thanksgiving, in Chicago, of George Flynn’s American Howl Quartet – “scored for clarinet, violin, cello, and piano, and combin(ing) a spoken recitation of Ginsberg’s stanzas over and alternating with the music”
Not missed (it’s coming up Sunday) – Daytona Beach, Florida Live Poets, film and discussion on “Howl”
Ah! the (continuing) multiple manifestations of Allen!
Er, and did we mention the putative casting of Daniel Radcliffe this week (“hot showbiz news”)? – yes, I do believe we did!
Indeed, that is rather worrying – although everything Allen said stands as a refutation of everything Murdoch represents, whoever 'owns' him.
Read Rita Dove's introduction to the anthology, where she explains it, before jumping to conclusions. Also, read her interview in the current (December 2011) issue of the AWP "Writer's Chronicle", where she goes into detail about the outrageous last minute permissions refusals from HarperCollins. And think about it what it means that Rupert Murdoch owns Allen Ginsberg nowadays.
Dove's exclusion of Ginsberg and Kerouac is outrageous. She deserves much more than a boo in my opinion.