Customer Reviews

Poetry and Life Allen Ginsberg: A Narrative Poem

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Ed Sanders is the child of the Beat poets and visionaries. In this book he celebrates the greatest of them all - Allen Ginsberg. The genius of this book is that Sanders may have invented a totally new genre of writing - the poetic documentary. Poetry is not read but experienced, thus going through this book is like being immersed in the sights and sounds of Ginsberg's life from the 1920s to the 1990s. Therefore, this book comes off as more potent, more immediate and more intense than reading a "straight" biography, often coloured by the interpretive lens of the biographer. This is a book that returns Ginsberg to us once more - the rebel, the madman, the Good Samaritan and the poet.

Sanders has perfected a unique style of narrative poetry. This book tells the story of Ginsberg's life as a private citizen and as a public figure, but it also chronicles his development as a poet. For those daunted by the Collected or even the Selected Poems, Sanders usefully points out what he thinks are Ginsberg's best poems as he goes along. Although I did not intend to when I sat down with it, I ended up reading it straight through to the end. A very moving ending it was, too.

Splendid piece of historic poetry from the viewpoint of ground zero. Ed does a wonderful job in detailing a journey through the poetic lens of a true genius. Composed in a way as dialogue/conversation in great depth and detail. Allen Ginsberg was in my opinion the greatest beat poet to emerge from the beat era and Mr. Sanders has captured this as a true master of historic poetry. Check out Ed's other books. A great creative and very informative read.

Investigative poetry at its most compelling..............Mr. Sanders portrayal of A.G. and his work left me mourning for such a great loss. I found a new friend, but lost him to the soup of time at the end of a too, too short a tour of A.G.'s life. Mr. Sanders work is as compelling as it is compassionate about the times, the art, the friendships and the glue that kept them all together....in the realm of Ginzap. Again, Mr. Sanders tells it like no other has........Read his other stuff!!!