Selected Poems

Chosen by Ginsberg himself from nearly fifty years of experimental, groundbreaking verse, this selection, in his words, -summarizes what I deem most honest, most penetrant of my writing-, and includes lesser known and later works which go beyond his iconic Beat Generation image. Presented chronologically, and ranging from early works such as -Paterson- (1949) to selections from White Shroud (1980-85) and Cosmopolitan Greetings (1986-92), and including the classic poems Howl (1955-56) and Kaddish (1959-60) as well as songs, recent uncollected poems and notes by the author, this volume brings together the most intensely personal verse of a great American poet - incandescent explorations that expand the consciousness with their breadth of vision and depth of humanity.