The poet E.E. Cummings was born on this day, October 14
December 20, 1956 – Allen Ginsberg, writing from Paterson, New Jersey
“Dear Mr Cummings,
Came to your door. You were out. I am writing , will be in NY for a month, then leave for Europe with 2 other poets – Jack Kerouac and Gregory Corso. Came from San Francisco where we held big crazy drunken poetry readings. I sent you my book, Howl, from there, to 4 Patchin Place, did you get it, did you read it? Have manuscript of Corso, Kerouac, (Gary) Snyder (25 year old Zen hip young cocksman who lives, with a sweet mind in Kyoto monastery translating the Zen Lunatic poets) and other SF recent poets to read to you, a few poems, write me a postcard, I’d like to come by
Sincerely,
Allen Ginsberg
[ps] – (Kenneth) Rexroth gave me your address, said you never read your mail anyway so that’s why I knocked on the door before.”
And this, written some ten years later to “Messrs. Roy, Cooperman, Leavitt and Violi” (sic) authors of “Monarch Notes“:
“…Kerouac…has as primary source, (William) Shakespeare, so has Corso and (William) Burroughs and myself – yet Shakespeare is [in your notes] discounted as a source. Gregory Corso and I did like (Christopher) Marlowe and (Percy Bysshe) Shelley – and I, (John) Keats – and (Christopher) Smart particularly, and (Guillaume) Apollinaire and (William) Blake, and (Herman) Melville’s poetry and Thomas Hardy, and Basil Bunting and Catullus – all this is spelled out in various essays published. Why are we referred, contrariwise, to Kenneth Patchen and E.E.Cummings? Patchen and Cummings had NO influence on 1) Kerouac 2) Corso 3) Burroughs 4) Myself. Much less Snyder, (Philip) Whalen, (Michael) McClure. They did have some influence on (Lawrence) Ferlinghetti…”
