Lew Welch

Thrilled to announce this new publication from Oregon State University Press (order it now, citing promo code F23, and get a 25% discount)

Ewan Clark has been studying Lew Welch for some time now (both the poems and the life) We’ve been eagerly anticipating his biography.

Counter-Culture Chronicles (in conjunction with Casioli Press) have put out, in the past couple of years, two small chapbooks, two teasers –  Howling in his Hill of Sur (2021) and Looking For Lew – An Invitation to Kitkitdizze (2022)

but now He, Leo, (340 pages, 20 black-and-white images – the title is a riff on Welch’s unfinished novel, I Leo ) is finally here!

 He, Leo, the publishers observe, “investigates Welch’s life and work in a chronological fashion, structured around (his) own notion of how three main aspects of his life – The Man, The Mountain, and The City – were interdependent. From his birth until his disappearance and presumed death, Welch’s life was often defined by problems, including a complex relationship with his mother, a long struggle with alcohol, and a fluctuating mental state. He was open and candid about everything, a fact that is evident in all aspects of his work.”

“Each of the three main sections”, they go on, “includes key poems, essays, and events –
both personal and cultural – to help establish (his) importance as a prominent poet and figure during the San Francisco Renaissance….” Clark, they declare, successfully, “restores Lew Welch to his rightful place as an important member of a significant American literary and cultural movement.”

Lew Welch, 1958 – portrait by Robert LaVigne – photo courtesy Joe Lee – A black-and-white image of this appears in the book

Lew Welch, teaching in  Marin County, 1968 – photo(s) by John Doss

Lew Welch, photo and date unknown, courtesy the Estate of Lew Welch

Here’s Clark’s astute observations  on Welch’s “Chicago Poem”:

“It is impossible to read “Chicago Poem” without seeing similarities to Allen Ginsberg’s Howl”. In the same way that Ginsberg’s Moloch devours his supplicants, so Welch’s poem ends with the image of a city dying if it isn’t sustained by its inhabitants. And thus Welch’s Chicago becomes the metaphorical equivalent of Ginsberg’s angry idol. But rather than let it devour him,Welch decides to escape and find other sources to which he can offer himself. While Welch’s legacy cannot be pinned to a single work, “Chicago Poem” was a significant moment not only in helping to cement his position within the canon of American poetry but also in providing him legitimacy and a sense of belonging.”

Ring of Bone Lew Welch’s essential Collected Poems remain available from City Lights (most recently in an expanded 2012 edition) – see our posting on it – here 

See also our 2011 posting (including links to the invaluable recordings of Welch on PennSound)

Lew Welch and Allen Ginsberg outside City Lights Bookstore, San Francisco, October 30, 1963, (the day of the Madame Nhu protest) – photo by John Doss

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *