Carl Solomon, dedicatee of “Howl” – (from Pat Thomas’ Material Wealth – Mining The Personal Archive of Allen Ginsberg (2023)
Carl Solomon’s petulant response to being immortalized in “Howl” (see above) waxed and waned over the years. He certainly didn’t seek immortality, and, as the years went by, he, reluctantly, came to terms with it. Ever, the Bronx boy (born there on this day, March 30,1928). Always a pleasure to salute him, dear Carl, on this special day.
“Holy Peter holy Allen holy Solomon holy Lucien holy Kerouac holy Huncke holy Burroughs..”
Past birthday postings – here on The Allen Ginsberg Project 2010 – 2011 – 2015 – 2016
2017 Allen Ginsberg on Carl
2020 Bob Rosenthal on Carl
2025 Barry Miles memories of Carl at Cherry Valley
(and a Carl Solomon 1982 Naropa reading (alongside Jack Micheline) – see here)
Carl Solomon (1928-1993)
“Carl Solomon in his Prince Street apartment several years after we were locked up together in residence on Sixth Floor ward, New York State Psychiatric Institute. He got shock treatments, introduce me to Jean Genet’s Miracle of the Rose and Antonin Artaud’s Van Ggh, The Man Suicided by Society translations , I stayed eight months, weekends off. Afterwards, working mid-town at his uncle’s Ace Books publications, he gave Kerouac small advance on first On The Road sketches (scroll later rejected), saw Jaime De Angulo’s classic Indian Tales first hard-back through press, & edited William Burroughs’ Junkie paperback first edition, New York, 1953″ – Carl Solomon – photo by Allen Ginsberg”