David S Wills at Beatdom announces his forthcoming World Citizen – Allen Ginsberg as Traveller. See earlier notices here and here
The New York Times this week deigned to pronounce Iron Curtain Journals one of the “new and noteworthy” book titles in its weekly round-up -“The great Beat poet traveled to Communist countries in the first half of 1965, Cuba and Poland among them. These journals convey his impressions, both insightful and banal” – “both insightful and banal”? – right! – Not surprisingly, no mention of Don’t Hide The Madness (or Straight Around Allen, come to think of it). No matter. We’ll take the opportunity of mentioning them.
A not-to-be-missed profile of Hank O’Neal (Allen’s conduit to Berenice Abbott and much else), by Mark Feeny, appeared, the end of last week, in the Boston Globe – It begins “Hank O’Neal may be the most interesting person you’ve never heard of…”
(Elsewhere), O’Neal himself writes: “John Hammond introduced me to Allen Ginsberg in 1981 and that was fortuitous because Allen and I worked on various projects until his death in 1997. The first project was a two LP recording entitled First Blues and the last was Gay Day, a book that was never released until nine years after Allen’s death. In the 1980s Allen became increasingly interested in photography and even though he used a small Olympus in those years he was fascinated with my wooden Deardorff, which I used to take this portrait of him at his East 12th Street apartment in 1986. He’s holding a portrait he took of his uncle who was dying in a New York City hospital”
and here’s another portrait by Hank of Allen
Further Beat images can be found here (Ginsberg and Corso, Ginsberg and Burroughs) (and, per Mark Feeny’s observation, his comprehensive web-site is, indeed, well worth a visit)
The Hungryalists – Allen and the Bengali poets. We’ve noted their influence before (see here and here)
We’re pleased to announce this – just out from Penguin India, Maitreyee Bhattacharjee Chowdhury‘s illuminating account
An excerpt from the book may be read – here
Steven Belletto‘s article, focusing specifically on the Hungry Generation/Beat Generation connection is also well worth perusing – here
“I am with you in Pawtucket”, 75-year-old Norma Jenckes wins the prize in Rhode Island with her “Ghazal Howl in Pawtucket”
Devin Lander, New York historian, is a specialist on Timothy Leary and Millbrook (a subject he spoke on yesterday)
John Sinclair opens a coffee-shop in Detroit
oh and then there’s this – more tomorrow about this