Various (Mosley, Abigail (Editor); Croft, Giles; Creeley, Robert; Ginsberg, Allen; Horovitz, Michael; Jerrom, Rick; Kantaris, Sylvia; Mansour, Joyce; Schwartz, Loren et al.)

Bananas: The Literary Magazine, No. 20 (April 1980)

London, England: Bananas, 1980. First Printing. Stapled Wrappers. Offered here is the 20th issue of Bananas Magazine, a British literary magazine which ran for 26 issues; beginning its run in January 1975, and finishing its run in April of ’81, precisely a year after this issue came out. Initially published and edited by the novelist, Emma Tennant, in Autumn 1979 its editorship was taken over by Abagail Mozley. As the film connoisseurs among TMB’s distinguished customer base/readership might surmise, Tennant, the magazine’s founding editor, named her literary magazine after the Woody Allen classic “Bananas,” (dir. by Allen & released in April of ’71). As Tennant sees it, “Bananas had a long-term effect on British literary audiences by taking the word ’Review’ away from the concept of a literary magazine and insisting on original fiction; it insisted too on wit and jokes and irreverence.’” While the action-packed issue indeed follows through on all of the above, the central gem of the issue (in Your Devoted Managing Curator’s not-so-humble-opinion) is the Allen Ginsberg interview, which spans three pages and is tightly packed with insight—especially if you have the benefit of knowing what the orbiting factors, obsessions, and associations of Allen’s life were at this time [the late-70s/early 80s]. In this case, it’s his efforts to get the then-fledgling Jack Kerouac School for Disembodied Poetics at Naropa University off its feet which feature heavily. If you’ve ever read Sam Kashner’s equally poignant and hilarious memoir-autobiography, “When I Was Cool: My Life at the Jack Kerouac School,” you’ll revel in the subtext found there. The AG interview also includes three rarely seen black-&-white photographs of the Great Beat Bard, a fact which will doubtlessly enhance the allure of this item for AG collectors. In addition to the Ginsberg interview, a few additional personalities familiar to the Beat Reader appear. These include the great Beat/Black Mountain poet, Robert Creeley (who contributes “This Day” a sprawling work that spans nearly 3 pages & is quite evocative of Creeley’s devotion to Charles Olson, that great Black Mountain Man & author of the vaunted “Projective Verse” (New York, NY: Totem Press, 1959). The contributor list is too sprawling to read in full, but see the pictures attached to this listing or e-mail us at info@thirdmindbooks.com if you’ve got any arcane questions regarding a specific contribution or anything of the sort. From the collection of Allen Tobias, former assistant to Allen Ginsberg, archivist, essayist, venerable man-of-letters & our esteemed colleague at the European Beat Studies Network (ebsn.eu). Large-format literary magazine-journal in stapled wrappers: First Printing, despite not being explicated as such on copyright page. In near fine condition with only moderate-to-pronounced shelf-wear, select bumping to fine-edges & corners of front, back covers & spine-edge of same; light-to-moderate rubbing, age-toning & select exhibits of spotting throughout; note: white streaks at back cover that appear to be closed tears or paper losses are actually part of back cover design, as evidenced by their mirrored (though obscured) presence on front cover, as well; moderate-to-pronounced age-toning & rusting to staples at exterior, though no bleeding at same. Near Fine. [Item #5489]

Price: $30.00