“There’s always hope in love. Love and hate are viruses. Love can make a civilization bloom and hate can kill a civilization” – Lawrence Ferlinghetti is ninety-six years old today. Many happy returns of the day, Lawrence!
The quote comes from a revealing profile from San Francisco news station, KQED (including a must-see video portrait by Adam Grossberg – Ferlinghetti bemoans what’s happened to his home-town, San Francisco – and all over!)
“With Lawrence Ferlinghetti’s last breath, San Francisco will become a different city” ( San Francisco – A Map of Perceptions – Andrea Ponsi).
Previous Ferlinghetti birthday posts on the Allen Ginsberg Project, here, here, here and here
Currently up at the Marin Museum of Contemporary Art – Legends of the Bay Area – Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The show will be up until April 5th
Ferlinghetti’s next book, Writing Across The Landscape – Travel Journals (1950-2013) (edited by Giada Diano and Matthew Gleeson), will be coming out this Fall (due out from Liveright in September)
and, prior to that, (in June, from City Lights) – I Greet You At The Beginning of A Great Career – The Selected Correspondence of Lawrence Ferlinghetti and Allen Ginsberg (1955-1997) (edited by Bill Morgan).
One spring morning in 1970, I was sitting on the bulldog sculpture in front of thre UGA student center, crowds swirling around it as they assembled for an anti-war rally.
A smiling young man appeared and handed me a well-thumbed copy of "A Coney Island of the Mind". "Here," he said, "you'll like this."
That moment encapsulates the era for me. Happy birthday, Mr. Ferlinghetti!
hmm thought Liveright went out of business. thanks for the blog as always.
Happy Birthday to a wonderful poet. I still remember hearing you read your poetry and speak at Carnegie Hall in Pittsburgh when I was a freshmen in college. It brings a smile to my face even now.
Happy Birthday Lawrence!
I would love to hear you read out loud. 🙂
TY. Enjoy the view!
Happy Birthday to a great man- Lawrence Ferlinghetti <3