BOOKS
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wreck") sound fa lse to an ca r tra in ed o n hi s mo re co ll oqui a l, Ameri can
line. mos t o f th e poems seem li ke rdra in s from pri or books, and a t
lower levels o f in spi ra ti o n a t th a t. T hi s is G in sberg's coo les t book; its
moment s o f ag ita ti o n . a t an y ra te. a re n o t u p to wha t we remember.
T he spont a neou s compos iti o n tha t was a boon to earli er poetry,
sum lllonin g u p th e rh yth m ic power o f th e lo ng. bardi c line in " How l,"
·' Kadd ish. " a nd "Wichit a Vort ex Su tra," looks more and mo re like a
recipe fo r suref ire in spi ra ti o n : a sh o rtcut to th e poeti c hi g h. But the
paraphern a li a o f in spi ra ti o n th a t wor ks so well for Gin sberg in
performa nce - wh at w ith th e ha rmonium and th e receptivity o f a udi–
ences ju st d yin g for en ch antment-a re n o gu a ra ntee o f poetry tha t is
effecti ve in print . t'sp ec ia ll y now tha t Gin sberg devo tes so much o f hi s
attenti o n to pure vo ice a nd pure breath. Onl y hi s o ld sexua l frankness
stiII comes a li
V('.
and tha t beca usc o f th e aggress ivc punch o f th e sexu a l
image. ra th er th a n from an y fres hness o f in sight or depth o f meanin g.
"Under th e wor ld th ere's a lo t of ass. a lo t o f cunt a lot o f mo uth s a nd
cocks, / un de r th e wo rld there's a lo t o f come, and a lo t o f sa liva
dripp in g int o broo ks" ma kes its point with the same aggress iven ess th at
Ginsberg could a lways summon up wh en in a lo usy mood , even if the
fin al res ult here isn ' t very interes tin g .
At thi s stage o f the game. a t fift y- two, ra ther tha n try
to
push ah ead
poe ti call y. Ginsberg has ta ken to do ublin g back upo n himself, and the
journ als. co rres ponden ce. memo irs, an d
oblteT dicta
(see Go rdon Ba ll 's
A llen Verba tim)
tha t n ow crowd th e ma rket sugges t th a t wha t we can
look forwa rd to a t thi s po int a re n eith er new brea kthrou gh s in poetry
nor furth er refinements. but Gin sberg's effo rt s to cl arify hi s image a nd
rea ffirm hi s cl a im u pon a pl ace in Ameri ca n cultura l hi story. I susp ect
tha t G in sberg understands th ese days th a t he ma tters less as a poet than
as a fi gure, an exem p la ry life. Cert a inl y he has become influenti a l
without bein g con sistentl y g rea t. o r even consistentl y en gaging as a
writ er. a nd mos t o f us can cOllnt o n o ne ha nd the poems tha t survive
rereadin g. let a lo ne stud y. As a n exempl ary fi gure. tho ug h , Ginsberg is
somethin g else aga in . a nd it is to th e cl arifi ca ti o n o f th e exampl e tha t
the journa ls and lett ers a rc dedi ca ted .
Bllt in wh a t sense is sll ch a life admira ble? Surely n o t in its
consp icuo us a li en a ti o n nor th e rootl ess ness tha t has made o f G in sberg
a wander ing .lew (or Buddhi st-Jew ) by defa ult , and certa inl y no t in the
homosexu a lit y as such .
(,V(,11
thou g h as a campa ign er fo r sexual
plurali sm Cin sbcrg h as bern in strument a l in crea tin g th e current
social clima te in whi ch comin g o ut is con sidered a po sitive perso na l
gestlll'l'. Wh a t surel y is exempl a ry on Cin sbng's p art is th e ri sk he h as
