Curve “Worshippers of
Howl and the
Beat Generation will revel in this impressive collection of correspondence between Ginsberg and myriad other luminaries…The letters…are extraordinary in their quality, in their content, and in their revelations about his personal and poetic desires, his struggles and success.”
Washington Blade, 8/22/08
“A historical epistolary novel…A guide to the Beat generation.”
New York Post, 9/14/08
“Full of wonderful tidbits about Ginsberg.”
San Francisco Chronicle, 9/20/08
“This wonderfully rich collection of 165 letters from the 1940s until the poet's death in 1997, put together by his longtime archivist, Bill Morgan, gives us a firsthand view of the man behind the poems, someone of whom it can be truly said that the personal was political…This remarkable collection by someone who perhaps invented the concept of ‘oversharing’ long before it became fashionable, reminds us of why he mattered then, and still does now.”
Details, October 2008
“Morgan has catalogued 165 of the poet-activist’s letters to people you’d expect and some you wouldn’t.”
USA Today’s Pop Candy, 9/26/08
“Good stuff!”
Bookviews.com, 10/08
“Will surely interest anyone who read [Ginsberg’s] work.”
Electric Review, September/October 2008
“The art of Ginsberg’s letters is captured in stunning form…Indispensable to all serious students of literature…A book that embraces the wonders of communication, each selection reveling in the sheer excitement of the connection…Followers of the Beat Generation will find countless hours of enjoyment here.”
Reference & Research Book News, November 2008
“From topics as personal as a recommendation of medicine for dysentery to Kerouac, to his excitement at discovering the painter Francis Bacon, to frank comments on his own work and that of others, the letters are captivating. Through them we see not only into the mind of a seminal poet but also into the society that shaped him.”
Curled Up with a Good Book, 10/08
“Since [Ginsberg’s] friends and correspondents included some of the great figures of his times, this epistolary collection has a deep footprint…If you want to understand the Beat generation, the hippies, the intellectual drug scene, the intellectual gay scene and poetry, this is a must-read.”
InfoDad.com, 10/30/08
“To Ginsberg fans and scholars, his letters provide insight into his personality, his creative process, and his works.”
Gay & Lesbian Review, 11/08
“Will doubtless serve a purpose for the many scholars and students of the Beat generation.”
January, 11/24/08
“Morgan has—once again—done a terrific job with Ginsberg’s words. In many ways, what we have here is the very heart of the Beat Generation. A wonderful book.”
PopMatters.com, 12/2/08
“We are served the spectrum of Ginsberg’s many moods and interests and his who’s-who guide of a rolodex…Some of the letters from the early ‘50s, pre-Howl, provide remarkable insight into the poems written around the same time…What The Letters offers that previous editions of Ginsbergalia, including the two biographies that have come out recently, cannot is the raw glimpses into the poet’s love life.”
Ink19.com, 12/08
“A superb collection that mirrors the beauty, humor, and energy of Ginsberg's work, and will serve well those who entered, and maybe never left, their Beat stage.”
Magill Book Reviews
[The letters] indicate just how thoroughly Ginsberg often thought about a subject or situation, and just how much control he had of the rhetorical devices which make non-fiction prose an informative and illuminating form…A fascinating glimpse into an important part of American cultural history, as well as a kind of autobiographical account of the poet’s primary political and aesthetic concerns…[Morgan’s] concise, knowledgeable explanations and contextual formulations are invaluable in leading the reader, even one familiar with Ginsberg’s life, to a more complete understanding of the writer’s thoughts and emotional condition at the time of the writing. Ginsberg’s life has been adequately covered in various biographies and commentaries, but this volume adds to and complements all of them, a compilation of enduring interest to anyone interested in the poet’s life and times.”
Santa Fe New Mexican, 12/19/08
"A fascinating story...Morgan deftly injects notes before many of the 165 letters to give readers a sense of context. This turns Ginsberg's most private thoughts into a cohesive narrative...Watching Ginsberg mature as an artist in his private letters is a pleasure."
Nextbook.org, 1/25/09
“Reading The Letters of Allen Ginsberg is an unexpectedly moving experience…His letters show that…there was something rare and genuine about Allen Ginsberg. He may have been a fool, but he was a holy fool; and next to his holiness, the maturity and realism of his critics can look a bit unlovely.”
HistoryWire.com, 1/24/09
“[An] extraordinary collection.”
Choice, 3/09
“Given that the academy still slights the Beats and that collections of letters frequently disappoint, this volume is a rewarding surprise…The letters develop narrative pull…The volume reminds the reader that despite his deference to Jack Kerouac, Ginsberg played a significant role in the Beat movement and era…Recommended.”
“Writing in the Mountains,” 1/30/09
“Interesting to read, just to get a glimpse into Ginsberg's life and the inner workings of his rambling mind. I found much humor throughout but also a lot of self-inflicted pathos which made the pages turn a bit faster.”
Hudson Review, Spring 2009
“Beat fans who aren’t sated by the Ginsberg-Snyder correspondence will also want to purchase, or steal, The Letters of Allen Ginsberg.”
Biography
“Full of everything one could hope for in a book of letters…The letters are informative, juicy, and poetic…A uniquely pleasing work.”
