Recall: 50 Years of 'Howl'

Today marks the 50th anniversary of the publication of Allen Ginsberg's revolutionary poem "Howl" by Lawrence Ferlinghetti's City Lights Bookstore. When it was released, the poem was banned, leading to a sensational obscenity trial which ruled the work was not written with lewd intent.

"Howl," with its blend of the biographical and the abstract, the political and the profane, turned Ginsberg into a literary rock star and spokesman for a generation, a literary descendant of Walt Whitman.

The poem still resonates today, a gift for anyone who discovers it, with its memorable opening line "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked, dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix" both an invocation and a lament.

Sadly, it's been awhile since a piece of poetry so ruffled the feathers of the cultural censors and the literati alike. Is that progress or just lack of inspiration? Where praytell are the best minds of the MySpace generation? Save for maybe Def Poetry Jam, it's unlikely the Tila Tequilas and Jeffree Stars of the world will lead a cultural renaissance of any lasting impact.

God, we sound maudlin. Blame it on the Vicodin. Anyway, we thought it was a good idea to revisit a hallowed work by one of our favorite faggoty forefathers, if for nothing but nostalgia's sake. Viva "Howl."

After 50 Years, Ginsberg's 'Howl' Still Resonates[NPR]

Whitman's Wild Child [LA Times]

City Lights Bookstore [site]

Allen Ginsberg [Wikipedia]

Allen Ginsberg ;Howl ;Poetry