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18 of 19 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A travel diary from India, March 27, 2000
This review is from: Indian Journals (Paperback)
This collection of diary entries, pieces of poems, personal reflections, and other notations written by Allen Ginsberg (poet + prophet) reveals a lot not only about Ginsberg, but about India itself. The conditions on the streets of Calcutta, Bombay, and other Indian cities are presented in stark clarity; many of the images he invokes are startling (like the burning ghats, or burial mounds), and sometimes even disturbing, but they are always described in a way that is at once personal and human. Ginsberg frequently writes about different Hindu gods and goddesses, reflecting his deep interest in and knowledge of Indian culture. There are a series of photographs that compliment the written words very well; as opposed to the original printing of this book, there are several new photographs included. I highly recommend this book to anyone interested in Allen Ginsberg, the Beats, Poetry, India, or the human spirit and it's compassionate nature....
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5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
Beautiful and paranoiac at the same time, December 8, 2007
This review is from: Indian Journals (Paperback)
Beautiful and paranoiac in the same time this epic journey of Allen Ginsberg w/ Peter Orlowsky in India shows written bits as diary writing, journals, magnificent poems along the way with wonderful photographs inserted. This books is a collage of ideas, sentiments, emotions captured by Allen's ink along his trip throught Calcutta, beautiful instants, praise for the police state, words that fall on the text, announced with a cold voice. This book begin as a diary and classic Allen Ginsberg poems comes at some moments, lenghty experimental poetry classic from the Beat instant. A really nice book with nice paper and typographs.
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2 of 2 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars
shadows and light, January 2, 2011
This review is from: Indian Journals (Paperback)
1962: Ginsberg and travel partner/lover Peter Orlovsky set out to live in India for an extended period of writing, spiritual seeking, and living in this multi-faceted culture.
The text fluctuates between journal entries, prose, and sketches, and Ginsberg's loose style permeates without. I appreciated his ability to make words work hard for him. Having spent quite a bit of time in many of the places mentioned in the writings, I had a personal connection with the book; he tackled the slums of Calcutta and the burning ghats of Benares with the utmost ease, and I found myself reading with a mix of wonder and bittersweet reminiscence.
Sadly, his daily drug addiction casts a shadow over spiritual nature of the journey, and even he seems to allude to the fact that he is clouded and limited in his insights because of it. Despite that, I still loved the read, and hope to be able to bring in some of Ginsberg's spirit and style into some of my own writing.
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