Various (Mault, Billy (Editor); Amichai, Yehuda; Ginsberg, Allen et al.)

Undercurrent Vol. 1 Issue 3 (February 28, 1969)

Buffalo, NY: New Media Projects Inc., 1969. First Edition, First Printing. Folded Sheets. "Just a lot of words and propaganda" (Allen Ginsberg, pg. 13). Undercurrent Vol. 1 Issue 3, edited by Barbara Morrison, was an aggressively radical underground newspaper at SUNY Buffalo and was a member of the Underground Press Syndicate. The syndicate was a network of countercultural newspapers and magazines that operated from 1966 into the late 1970s. Members agreed to allow all other participants to freely reprint their contents, to exchange gratis subscriptions with each other, and to occasionally print a listing of all Underground Press Syndicate newspapers with their addresses. As a result, countercultural news stories, criticism, and cartoons were widely disseminated, and a wealth of content was available to even the most modest start-up paper. Featured in this issue is an excerpt from Beat Generation Founding Father Allen Ginsberg's (1926-1997) Angkor Wat (pg. 6) & three poems on page 12 from Yehuda Amichai (1924-2000), the most internationally renowned Israeli poet, that were translated by then SUNY Buffalo English professor Moshe Ron (b. 1945), There Are Many Grapes, These Are Journey Preparations & My Father My King. Angkor Wat, held by some as Ginsberg’s “first Buddhist poem” remains one of the most significant evocations of the Khmer temples in modern literature. In form and in relation with the author’s own trajectory, the poem definitely marks a transition in Ginsberg’s style and worldview, informing us of how a major American writer had a premonitory sense of how modern Southeast Asia's tragic history was to unfold (See Item No. 5964 for complete poem). Amichai's poems have a metaphorical richness while being grounded in concrete realities, reflecting both personal and collective narratives. Amichai's mature style bridges personal experience with universal truths, using the first-person voice as a deliberate poetic tool. Check out the lyrics for "Kickout the Jams, Motherfucker" on page 6 from Ann Arbor's own MC-5, the rock band managed by poet & pothead John Sinclair (1941-2024). Plus many other entries including contemporary ads. From the collection of Albert Glover (1942-2026), the great American scholar, bibliographer, author & publisher who until recently was the foremost living authority on literary giant Charles Olson (our favorite Maximus Obscurantist), with whom we're honored to have been acquainted. Large-format newspaper: First & only printing per publication custom. A most collectible Ginsberg rarity in its rarest contemporary form with very distinguished provenance. In relatively fine condition with mild-to-moderate age-toning mostly to blank margins & fine edges of page leaves; mild-to-moderate rubbing/wear at fold lines of same; occasional spot-staining & some chipping to fine edges of a few page leaves; appx. 2" enclosed tear at lower spine of front & back covers. Fine. [Item #8720]

Price: $60.00 save 15% $51.00