Ginsberg, Allen

Deliberate Prose: Selected Essays (1952-1995)

New York, NY: Harper Collins, 2000. First Edition. Hardcover. “What a wonderful book is ‘Deliberate Prose,’ the selected essays of Allen Ginsberg! It is the work of a great poet, a great American, and a great friend of literature who more than any bard in history helped shape social thought and political change in his era. Brilliance suffuses the collection, beginning with the opening essay, his prophetic ‘Independence Day Manifesto’ of 1959. The 124 essays in ‘Deliberate Prose’ read like the burning signposts of our age. In them we are amazed at the wide range of his mind, the evidence of his wild curiosity, his goodwill, his dedication to a better world, to good causes, to a new kind of openness and truth emblemized by his watch-sentence: “Candor ends paranoia.” (from Ed Sanders’ Introduction). Fittingly dedicated “to Allen Ginsberg’s readers,” (because only a writer or Beat enthusiast will be truly enamored with a work like this and go on to mine all the gold there is to find there), “Deliberate Prose” is part-history, part-coursebook, and part-literary criticism of the best sort. The book is split up into 8 sections appearing in the following order: “Politics and Prophecies,” “Drug Culture,” “Mindfulness and Spirituality,” “Censorship and Sex Laws,” “Autobiographical Fragments,” “Literary Technique and the Beat Generation,” “Writers,” and “Further Appreciations.” While we could spend hours running down the list of essays and citing the interest and importance factors of each, we’ll highlight a few from the previously-listed sections that we find especially interesting or under-read. In the “Politics and Prophecies” section is something that would truly be useful and relevant for anyone organizing a march or a protest today: Ginsberg’s 1965 notes gathered under the title “Demonstration or Spectacle as Example, as Communication.” This how-to treatise would declaw the contemporary activist’s penchant for reputation demolition and moral superiority complexes. In the “Mindfulness and Spirituality” section we find the comically (and prophetically!) titled essay from 1959, “Everybody Should Get High for the Next Ten Years.” If you are a writer, Parts 6 and 7 “Literary Technique and the Beat Generation” & “Writers” will be of special importance to you, as they contain irreplaceable gems including “Notes Written on Finally Recording HOWL” (1959) and “How Kaddish Happened” (1966). These are nothing less than one of the most important poets of the 20th Century telling you how he wrote two of the most important poems of the 20th Century. You should listen! Treasures such as these abound in this Katz Deli-sized pastrami sandwich of poet-wisdom, and it behooves all Beat Enthusiasts and aspiring writers to have this classic tome ready-at-hand. [ISBN: 0-06-019294-1]. Book in exceptionally very fine condition, virtually as new. Dust-jacket in substantially very fine condition, as well; virtually as new. Very Fine. [Item #4517]

Price: $45.00