The Selected Letters of Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, 1956-1991 [Hardcover]

Gary Snyder (Author), Allen Ginsberg (Author), Bill Morgan (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: November 25, 2008

One of the central relationships in the Beat scene was the long-lasting friendship of Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder. Ginsberg introduced Snyder to the East Coast Beat writers, including Jack Kerouac, while Snyder himself became the model for the serious poet that Ginsberg so wanted to become. Snyder encouraged Ginsberg to explore the beauty of the West Coast and, even more lastingly, introduced Ginsberg to Buddhism, the subject of so many long letter exchanges between them. Beginning in 1956 and continuing through 1991, the two men exchanged more than 850 letters. Bill Morgan, Ginsberg’s biographer and an important editor of his papers, has selected the most significant correspondence from this long friendship. The letters themselves paint the biographical and poetic portraits of two of America’s most important—and most fascinating—poets.

Editorial Reviews

From Publishers Weekly

Starred Review. This sparkling collection of letters between Gary Snyder and Allen Ginsberg offers enthusiasts an intimate glimpse of the poets' shared vision of creativity, spiritualism, and their work, as well as literary and sexual adventures from across the globe. In vivid prose that makes the infamous Yage Letters (between Ginsberg and William S. Burroughs) seem juvenile, these legendary Americans reveal a stunning amount, sharing both innermost doubts and grand career aspirations. Ginsberg's voice often feels more authentic, with a natural story-teller's zeal for conveying the racy details of his personal life; he also exposes the paranoia and crushing self-doubt that forever plagued him. Snyder, while earthy and open, often veers towards metaphysical subjects and writes more cautiously, as if aware of his legacy even in these pre-fame days. Though it's a small miracle so many letters survived the writers' extensive travel, gaps in the chronology may frustrate some readers. Still, the decades-spanning dialogue never fails to entertain or offer deeper insight into the artists' process. ("No wire or pill will ever put a poet out of work," Snyder insists.) Filled with the sort of high-minded yearning for knowledge that Ginsberg and Snyder are known for, this volume presents a thrilling opportunity to eavesdrop on two of the most intriguing American poets-and personalities-of the 20th Century.
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Product Details

• Hardcover: 352 pages
• Publisher: Counterpoint (November 25, 2008)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1582434441
• ISBN-13: 978-1582434445
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 6.3 x 1.1 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (6 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #912,927 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

12 of 12 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Beat poets bond, December 18, 2008

By 

E. Payne (Jackson, MS USA) - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Selected Letters of Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, 1956-1991 (Hardcover)

Allen Ginsberg was, of course, the Great Beat(nik) Poet who achieved early fame/infamy with "Howl" and thereafter maintained a very public profile. Gary Snyder was the model for Jack Kerouac's Japhy Ryder in "The Dharma Bums" and is an excellent, if lesser known, poet (Snyder won a Pulitzer Prize for "Turtle Island" in the 1970s) and environmental activist. The two met shortly before their participation in the legendary San Francisco 6 Gallery reading in 1955 and maintained a correspondence until near the time of Ginsberg's death in 1997.

The selected letters offer insight into the personalities and lives of two key figures in the 1950s beat literary movement which would form a foundation for the 1960s counter-culture as well as the ecological movement of the present day. Ginsberg roamed the world and made his way into the inner sanctums of pop culture. When you run across references to Bob Dylan, Paul McCartney, Mick Jagger, and even Uma Thurman in the book's index, rest assured their mention comes in a Ginsberg letter. Meanwhile, Snyder spent the last half of the 1950s and much of the 1960s in Japan studying Zen Buddhism. The two, along with their companions, traveled around India in the early 1960s and later organized the San Francisco Be-In. In the 1980s and 1990s academia slowly came around to recognizing the literary accomplishment of the beat movement and both writers found themselves re-cast as honored elder statesmen. Snyder served as a member of the California Arts Council under Governor Jerry Brown and accepted a teaching post at UC Davis.

As Gary Snyder observes in his introduction (he's one of the last of the beat pioneers standing), he prodded Allen into walking more and Allen prodded him into talking more--and he feels the results were beneficial for both. Certainly reading these collected letters is beneficial to those of us who admire the work of both and appreciate the opportunity to learn more about the persons behind the personas. Read this and ponder if our email and cell phone culture will preserve the entertaining interplay of lofty thoughts and low gossip between two noteworthy individuals as this collection of letters has.

6 of 6 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Captivating, March 5, 2009

By 

Frank Solle - See all my reviews
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This review is from: The Selected Letters of Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, 1956-1991 (Hardcover)

If you've paid attention to cultural events over the past 50 years then you've heard of these two poetic, literary, and, yes, Beat, stars. Kerouac gets the top billing, but without Snyder and Ginsberg guiding him and that heralded movement, it simply wouldn't've happened. And here we get insights into this special relationship. Trials, tribulations, travels, favors asked, jokes played ... it's all here. This very insightful and informative collection is a must read for anyone who is (or was) a free spirit, a poet, a believer.

5.0 out of 5 stars Sublime Sixties Chronicle, December 30, 2010

By 

MZ (Los Angeles, CA USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Selected Letters of Allen Ginsberg and Gary Snyder, 1956-1991 (Hardcover)

Spanning forty years, the friendship between these two major poets is documented beautifully in their letters. In selecting what to publish, the editor has included a little bit of everything: mundane travel itineraries and minor financial transactions as well as sublime riffs on the nature of poetry and thought. Ginsberg and Snyder were both serious students of Eastern spirituality, Ginsberg more devoted to Tibetan Buddhism and Snyder, Japanese and American Indian spiritual practice. Ginsberg was the acknowledged father of the Beat Generation of poets, Snyder a Pulitzer Prize winner. Much of the pleasure in reading this book is in hearing of the many Beat poets, writers and other luminaries who were part of Ginsberg's orbit: Jack Kerouac, Michael McClure, Kenneth Rexroth, LeRoi Jones, William Burroughs. Bob Dylan! Patti Smith! Jerry Brown! They come and go, joining Ginsberg at this or that poetry reading, or teaching with him at Naropa, or running into him at some public event or war protest, or hooking up with him to make music.

Anyone who came of age in the Sixties will recognize the atmosphere evoked in these letters: the euphoria, the joy in experimentation, the fallout. Ginsberg's letters are the livelier ones, Snyder's more grounded and steady. Ginsberg seems to have been traveling the globe almost continually, in spite of poor health and a backlog of work and correspondence; but he never complains except good-naturedly. In one memorable letter, he chances to mention toward the end that he was mugged in the street, chanting OM as he was knocked down--and ended up without his wallet. Then he moves on to another subject and the incident receives no further mention. What's that about? You sense the presence of a saint, or at the very least, a humorous, matter-of-fact, selfless soul.