Allen Ginsberg and The Beat Generation
I’m ashamed to say that I first learned about The Beat Generation because of a terrible movie I watched at a sleepover in 2013, starring Daniel Radcliffe. The movie, Kill Your Darlings, follows a young Allen Ginsberg from Paterson NJ to NYC, where he attends Columbia University. The movie quickly takes a turn, becoming a murder mystery, portraying Ginsberg and his friends as hopeless addicts, rambling on, and sleeping with everyone they meet. And it wasn’t until I was older that I found out what the Beat Generation was actually like, and the impact it had on literature. Despite this, I will always picture Allen Ginsberg as Harry Potter wearing brown contact lenses.
In post WW2 America, the senselessness of the times fueled the making of creative literature which shaped the landscape of the 20th century. Writers including Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and Neal Cassady, created works that challenged the norms, rejected the status quo, and inspired countless to find personal freedom, but it was Ginsberg who took the extra step. His poetry not only pointed out what was wrong in the world, but offered solutions, inspiration, and hope, thus creating anew.
While some dislike Ginsberg’s long, dreamlike, intense voice, because of its challenging writing style, nontraditional forms and content, and controversial themes, some may argue it is these exact qualities which make him so well loved today.
His fearlessness in writing about taboo subjects like sexuality, mental illness, drug use, and societal oppression showcase his works revolutionary reputation. By scathing capitalism, consumerism and other oppressive systems of power, Ginsberg is able to denounce the dehumanizing effects of these structures, and calls for a reevaluation of societal values and priorities. This personal expression is said by many to have fueled the hippy movement of the 1960s and the punk movement of the 1970s, continuously shaping generations to come.
Ginsberg invites readers to question things for themselves, and challenge the world around them. His provocative language pushes readers toward forming their own conclusions, and inspires them to take action in their own lives. I believe this was his purpose for writing, not to simply rant on about his thoughts, but to get people thinking and creating their own voice.
His unapologetic exploration of individuality, search for personal freedom, and authenticity constitutes what The Beat Generation was all about, giving voices to the silenced.
Common themes of Ginsberg’s writing include love, suffering and spiritual exploration. At the same time, his poems reek of anguish, frustration, and longing, as he screams at the injustices of consumerism, capitalism, and the status quo.
The unorthodox writing style of Ginsberg’s poetry would fall flat without the real world backbone to hold it up. Ginsberg was known for his personal and political activism, which sets him apart from his fellow Beat writers. He speaks of anti-war movements, LGBTQ+ rights, and free speech advocacy, reflecting his own desires for societal change. As an expression of counter cultural rebellion against the values of post-World War II America, Ginsberg does not hide away from themes of conformity, materialism, and sexual repression.
Despite his critical literary success, Ginsberg faced several disadvantages in his career, such as outsider status, countercultural activism, and mental health struggles. Ginsberg was both gay and Jewish. His ability to produce work which highlighted the role these factors had in his life showcases his perseverance to overcome the struggles which came along with them. His outspoken activism made him victim to societal backlash, and made him a target for criticism and suppression, impacting both his professional and personal life.
Allen Ginsberg’s work is as relevant now as it was in the 50s and 60s because of its messages about how to live a life that matters. His work represents standing up for what you believe in, and questioning that which you don’t, a message which will always matter, no matter the place or time.
Ginsberg’s most prominent poems such as A Supermarket in California, America, and Howl, are hilarious, especially if you listen to a recording of Ginsberg himself reading them out loud to an audience. The level of humor in the poetry went over my head as a teenager, as I took the poems very seriously and studied them meticulously trying my best to be a serious intellectual.
Now, when I read Ginsberg, or Corso, or Ferlinghetti, etc, I hear the voices of young men, making commentary on an American belief system which they were told to follow blindly, the life draining hamster wheel of the practical 9–5, or the invisible iron barricade around the pursuit of self discovery.
The Beats were advocates for the joylessness and purposelessness of modern society, and sought to transform poetry into an expression of genuine lived experience. Ginsberg’s sermon-like poems bleed authenticity, rebellion, and rebirth. They filled me with excitement, inspiration, and promise when I was 18, reading them for the first time.
Ginsberg’s poems have the ability to make a worldly statement in the form of art. The bravery and authenticity in voices of this kind are hard to not be moved by, which is probably a large part of the reason why much of The Beats literature was banned. No matter some people’s pursuit to hide this type of literature, its impact on art will never be forgotten.
