Beat Poetry

Related to political poetry, Beat poetry evolved during the 1940s in both New York City and on the west coast throughout the 50's. The end of World War II left poets like Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jack Kerouac, and Gregory Corso questioning mainstream politics and culture. These writers would become known as the Beat generation, a group of writers interested in changing consciousness and defying conventional writing.

The battle against social conformity and literary tradition was central to the work of the Beats. Among this early group of poets, hallucinogenic drugs were used to achieve higher consciousness, as was meditation and Eastern religion. Buddhism especially was important to many of the Beat poets; Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg both intensely studied Buddhism and it figures into much of their work.

Allen Ginsberg's first book, Howl and Other Poems, is considered representative of the Beat poets. In 1956 Lawrence Ferlinghetti's press City Lights published Howl and Ferlinghetti was brought to trial the next year on charges of obscenity. In a hugely publicized case, the judge ruled that Howl was not obscene and brought national attention to Ginsberg and the Beat poets.

Besides publishing the Pocket Poets Series, Ferlinghetti also founded the legendary San Francisco bookstore City Lights. Still in operation today, City Lights is an important landmark of Beat generation history. Several of the surrounding streets have been renamed after Beat poets as well, contributing to the cultural landscape of San Francisco.

Other Beat poets included Diane di Prima, Neal Cassady, Anne Waldman and Michael McClure. Although William S. Burroughs and Jack Kerouac are often best remembered for works of fiction such as Naked Lunch and On the Road, respectively, they also wrote poetry. Kerouac is said to have coined the term "Beat generation," describing his generation's down-and-out or tired status during the post-war years.

On the link page, please visit Allen Ginsberg's reading of HOWL. Please use headphones when listening to this poem. The audio track is divided into two sections to include the entire poem.

You may also use POETS.COM (also on the link page) to search and listen to (or read) other poets' work including: Robert Lowell, Wallace Stevens, Langston Hughes, Robert Frost, William Carlos Williams, Sylvia Plath, Anne Sexton, Ted Hughes, Robert Pinsky, Gwendolyn Brooks, Maya Angelou, Mary Oliver, Lucille Clifton, Amiri Baraka, Carl Sandburg, T.S. Eliot, Ezra Pound and a whole host of others.