16 results for "Poetry"

American scream: Allen Ginsberg's Howl and the making of the Beat Generation

Raskin, Jonah
Written as a cultural weapon and a call to arms, Howl touched a raw nerve in Cold War America and has been controversial from the day it was first read aloud nearly fifty years ago. This first full critical and historical study of Howl brilliantly elucidates the nexus of politics and literature in which it was written and gives striking new portraits of Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William Burroughs. Drawing from newly released psychiatric reports on Ginsberg, from interviews with his psychiatrist, Dr. Philip Hicks, and from the poet's journals, American Scream shows how Howl brought Ginsberg and the world out of the closet of a repressive society. It also gives the first full accounting of the literary figures―Eliot, Rimbaud, and Whitman―who influenced Howl, definitively placing it in the tradition of twentieth-century American poetry for the first time. As he follows the genesis and the evolution of Howl, Jonah Raskin constructs a vivid picture of a poet and an era. He illuminates the development of Beat poetry in New York and San Francisco in the 1950s--focusing on historic occasions such as the first reading of Howl at Six Gallery in San Francisco in 1955 and the obscenity trial over the poem's publication. He looks closely at Ginsberg's life, including his relationships with his parents, friends, and mentors, while he was writing the poem and uses this material to illuminate the themes of madness, nakedness, and secrecy that pervade Howl. A captivating look at the cultural climate of the Cold War and at a great American poet, American Scream finally tells the full story of Howl―a rousing manifesto for a generation and a classic of twentieth-century literature.
University of California Press 2004-04-07 295 pages

Making the best of what's left: when we're too old to get the chairs reupholstered

Viorst, Judith
Throughout her career, Judith Viorst has written numerous books reflecting on life as she ages. Now in her nineties, she shares her experiences in life's "final fifth" in this collection of poetry and essays. On her retirement community, she notes that it is "wonderful, marvelous, swell--good as gold. Except for this one little problem: everyone's old." On her late husband (who died of COVID-19 in 2022), she pleads: "I need you fixing our damn circuit breakers. I need you! Could you please stop being dead?" With humor and vulnerability, Viorst invites readers to dance with her between grief and levity and to enjoy the time we have left to share.
Simon & Schuster 2025-04-01 192 pages

Nice Jewish Girls A Lesbian Anthology

Evelyn Torton Beck
Nice Jewish Girls: A Lesbian Anthology, Revised and Updated Edition (2023) "A brave and pioneering anthology." - Ms. Magazine "Nice Jewish Girls is a ....celebration of survival, by and about Jewish lesbians....who speak to the part of us that rejoices in people reclaiming their identities....that shouts in anger at injustice." - Gay Community News To read this germinal collection of essays, poetry, fiction, testimony, and analysis, is to be introduced to identities that have historically been hidden and often reviled. Intimate, honest, and brash, this is a lovely, unflinching glimpse of who we were, and a map toward who we may become. Newly restored with high resolution photos, this edition preserves a set of voices to be treasured--discovered and rediscovered by Nice Jewish Girls and the women they love. - Jeannelle M. Ferreira, author of The Fire and the Place in the Forest Evelyn (“Evi”) Torton Beck, scholar/teacher/activist, is Professor Emerita of the Harriet Tubman Department of Women’s, Gender, and Sexuality Studies at the University of Maryland and is associated with the Fielding Graduate University. Her wide-ranging research includes analyses of antisemitism and homophobia, Jewish women's contributions to literature and art; feminist perspectives on the life and work of Franz Kafka and Frida Kahlo, and in recent years, Sacred Circle Dance as a healing practice.
Labrys Books Press 2023 371 pages

A little love in big Manhattan

Wisse, Ruth R.
In the early decades of this century, the wave of immigration that brought nearly two million Jews from the Pale of Settlement to the United States included an extraordinary group of gifted Yiddish poets and writers, who came to be called Di Yunge (The Young). A Little Love in Big Manhattan tells the story of two of the Young’s most prominent figures―Mani Leib, a lyric poet intent on refining the hard facts of his life into works of enduring beauty, and Moishe Leib Halpern, for whom poetry had to be the expression of coarse and shattering reality. Through a dual biography of these opposing personalities, Ruth Wisse describes the rich and vital cultural movement that embraced them both. She tells of the burst of creative energy exhibited by the young poets and intellectuals who, after a long day of manual labor, would congregate in the cafes of the Lower East Side for badinage, debate, and literary talk. They started literary journals and compiled anthologies of their writings, which found their way overseas and had a rejuvenating influence on Yiddish poetry abroad. Ironically, their achievement coincided with the decline of the language in which they wrote, so that Yiddish poetry came into its own in America at a time when the next generation could scarcely read it; there were no literary heirs. Ruth Wisse presents modern Jews with a part of their lost inheritance, and also claims for the Yiddish poets a place in the American canon. The first book to present these poets as part of the history of immigrant Jews in America, A Little Love in Big Manhattan (the title is from a poem of Halpern’s) will appeal to readers of poetry and to people interested in facets of the intellectual and artistic atmosphere of the interwar period.
Harvard University Press 1988-07-27 279 pages

A Little Book on Love

Jacob Needleman
A Los Angeles Times Healthy Bestseller and winner of the Body Mind Spirit magazine Award of Excellence. A LITTLE BOOK ON LOVE explores the great works of philosophy, myth, and sacred wisdom. Written by philosopher Jacob Needleman, it offers a bold new interpretation of why two people are brought together in the miracle called love. In A LITTLE BOOK ON LOVE, Needleman uses eclectic sources to explain the essence and nature of the miracle that is love. From the radiant poetry of the great Sufi mystic Rumi to the revelations of Saint Paul, Needleman guides readers on an enthralling journey of discovery. Resonating with hope and wisdom, A LITTLE BOOK ON LOVE demonstrates that true love can transcend both time and the mundane to become a precious resource for anyone who wants a relationship to last a lifetime--and beyond.
Dell Books (Paperbacks) 2003-10-01

Grammars of Creation

Steiner, Mr. George,Steiner, George
“We have no more beginnings,” George Steiner begins in this, his most radical book to date. A far-reaching exploration of the idea of creation in Western thought, literature, religion, and history, this volume can fairly be called a magnum opus. He reflects on the different ways we have of talking about beginnings, on the “core-tiredness” that pervades our end-of-the-millennium spirit, and on the changing grammar of our discussions about the end of Western art and culture. With his well-known elegance of style and intellectual range, Steiner probes deeply into the driving forces of the human spirit and our perception of Western civilization’s lengthening afternoon shadows. Roaming across topics as diverse as the Hebrew Bible, the history of science and mathematics, the ontology of Heidegger, and the poetry of Paul Celan, Steiner examines how the twentieth century has placed in doubt the rationale and credibility of a future tense—the existence of hope. Acknowledging that technology and science may have replaced art and literature as the driving forces in our culture, Steiner warns that this has not happened without a significant loss. The forces of technology and science alone fail to illuminate inevitable human questions regarding value, faith, and meaning. And yet it is difficult to believe that the story out of Genesis has ended, Steiner observes, and he concludes this masterful volume of reflections with an eloquent evocation of the endlessness of beginnings.
Yale University Press 2002-09-01 350 pages

Radical artifice: writing poetry in the age of media

Perloff, Marjorie
How the negotiation between poetic and media discourses takes place is the subject of Marjorie Perloff's groundbreaking study. Radical Artifice considers what happens when the "natural speech" model inherited from the great Modernist poets comes up against the "natural speech" of the Donahue "talk show," or again, how visual poetics and verse forms are responding to the languages of billboards and sound bytes. Among the many poets whose works are discussed are John Ashbery, George Oppen, Susan Howe, Clark Coolidge, Lyn Hejinian, Leslie Scalapino, Charles Bernstein, Johanna Drucker, and Steve McCaffery. But the strongest presence in Perloff's book is John Cage, a "poet" better known as a composer, a philosopher, a printmaker, and one who understood, almost half a century ago, that from now on no word, musical note, painted surface, or theoretical statement could ever again escape "contamination" from the media landscape in which we live. It is under his sign that Radical Artifice was composed.
University of Chicago Press 1991 248 pages

African Proverbs by Charlotte and Wolf Leslau

CHARLOTTE. LESLAU,Wolf Leslau
We are honored to present this timeless collection, African Proverbs by Charlotte Leslau-an extraordinary work that preserves and uplifts the enduring brilliance of African oral tradition. These proverbs are more than words; they are echoes of Ancestors, distilled wisdom, and cultural affirmations carried through generations. In a world often quick to overlook or erase African contributions, this book stands as a powerful reminder of the intellect, wit, and deep philosophy embedded in everyday African speech. These proverbs offer guidance, laughter, clarity, and community-if only we stop and listen. STILL. WE. RISE. Through rhythm, metaphor, and truth-telling, the voices of the past reach out to shape the present. Let this work remind us that our stories, our languages, and our lessons are sacred. We are committed to sharing with all who are ready to receive them.
Afriware Books, Company 2025-08-17 62 pages

The Ascent of Man

Mathilde Blind
"The Ascent of Man" by Mathilde Blind is a powerful collection of poems exploring themes of evolution and human progress. Written by a significant woman author, this work delves into the concept of social evolution through compelling verse. This poetry examines humanity's journey, offering insightful reflections on societal development and change. A historical text meticulously prepared for print republication, Blind's poems resonate with enduring relevance, providing a unique perspective on the forces shaping our world. Explore the complexities of human advancement and the ongoing quest for a better future through the evocative language and timeless observations of Mathilde Blind. This work has been selected by scholars as being culturally important, and is part of the knowledge base of civilization as we know it. This work is in the public domain in the United States of America, and possibly other nations. Within the United States, you may freely copy and distribute this work, as no entity (individual or corporate) has a copyright on the body of the work. Scholars believe, and we concur, that this work is important enough to be preserved, reproduced, and made generally available to the public. We appreciate your support of the preservation process, and thank you for being an important part of keeping this knowledge alive and relevant.
Creative Media Partners, LLC 2025-03-29 84 pages

The Laws of Verse

James Joseph Sylvester
The Laws of Verse is an unchanged, high-quality reprint of the original edition of 1870. Hansebooks is editor of the literature on different topic areas such as research and science, travel and expeditions, cooking and nutrition, medicine, and other genres. As a publisher we focus on the preservation of historical literature. Many works of historical writers and scientists are available today as antiques only. Hansebooks newly publishes these books and contributes to the preservation of literature which has become rare and historical knowledge for the future.
hansebooks 2017-03-29 156 pages