Spontaneous Mind - by Allen Ginsberg (Paperback)

Book Synopsis

"A thoroughly engaging read, stuffed from cover to cover with the kind of euphoric epiphanies that characterized the Beat writers' collective ambition."--San Francisco Chronicle

Allen Ginsberg relished the interview as an opportunity to articulate his philosophy and faith. Speaking frankly about his work, loves and the political and social events of his time, Spontaneous Mind reveals Ginsberg in a fresh light, particularly in the seven never-before-published interviews included in this volume.

Not only does Ginsberg discuss literary influences such as Ezra Pound, William Carlos Williams, Walt Whitman, and William Blake, but he also offers insights into his own poetic innovations in rhythm and meter.

Ginsberg speaks colorfully about his experiments with LSD and marijuana explaining how these experiences contributed to his artistic development. He is also disarmingly candid in talking about his intimate friendship with Jack Kerouac and his affairs with William S. Burroughs and Neal Cassidy, as well as his long relationship with Peter Orlovsky.

From the Back Cover

From his conversation with the conservative William F. Buckley on PBS to his testimony at the Chicago Seven trial to his passionate riffs on Cezanne, Blake, Whitman, and Pound, the interviews collected in Spontaneous Mind, chronologically arranged and in some cases previously unpublished, were conducted throughout Allen Ginsberg's long career. From the late 1950s to the mid-1990s, Ginsberg speaks frankly about his life, his work, and major events, allowing us to hear once again the impassioned voice of one of the most influential literary and cultural figures of our time.

Review Quotes

"Readers of this collection may find that they are no longer the same after having encountered [Ginsberg] in its pages." - New York Times Book Review

"Spontaneous Mind brings readers closer to Ginsberg the man ... both compelling and entertaining to read." - Milwaukee Journal Sentinel

"SPONTANEOUS MIND is an uncensored perspective on Allen Ginsberg's life, work and the events of his time." - Charleston Post & Courier

"Ginsberg's verbal dexterity is such that he never gets hemmed in by people who would rather have him easily pegged." - Creative Loafing