Summary Information
Abstract
Papers of Allen Ginsberg, American poet and one of the founders of the beat
generation. The collection contains correspondence, manuscripts, and publications created
by Ginsberg and his associates.
At a Glance
| Call No.: | MS#0487 |
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| Bib ID: | 4078809 View CLIO record |
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| Creator(s): | Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997. |
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| Title: | Allen Ginsberg
papers,
1943-1991
[Bulk Dates: 1945-1976]
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| Physical description: | 11.25 linear ft. (26 boxes & 1 oversized document
box)
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| Language(s): | Material is in English.
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| Access: |
This collection has no restrictions.
This collection is located on-site.
More information » |
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Arrangement
Arrangement
This collection is arranged in 5 series:
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Description
Scope and Content
The Allen Ginsberg papers contain correspondence, artwork, manuscripts, and printed
material by and about Ginsberg, including the manuscript for "Indian Journals" and the
manuscript for a collection of Ginsberg's lectures entitled "Allen Verbatim." The
collection also contains a significant number of artworks and manuscripts by Ginsberg's
friends and associates, including William Burroughs's "Interzone" (Naked Lunch)
manuscript. There are a very small number of audio recordings included in the collection
as well- a recording of an interview with Ginsberg a reel to reel tape of Ginsberg
singing poems of William Blake.
1987 Addition: Letters from Allen Ginsberg to Imamu Amiri Baraka.
1991 Addition: Two tape recordings on the subject of William Blake.
1993 Addition: Books & periodicals.
1998 Addition: Letters from Allen Ginsberg to Arthur Knight.
Series I: Correspondence, 1943-1982
This series consists of correspondence between Allen Ginsberg and his friends,
family and associated. Included is early correspondence between Ginsberg and his
friends and fellow writers William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassady, and
Gregory Corso as well as letters including poetry critiques from his Columbia
University professors Lionel Trilling and Mark Van Doren. There is also a
significant amount of correspondence between Allen Ginsberg and his father, the
poet Louis Ginsberg.
Series II: Writings and Manuscripts, 1950-1974
This series includes manuscripts of writing both by Ginsberg and by his friends
and collaborators, including the manuscript for Ginsberg's
Indian Journals
and the galleys for
Howl and
Other Poems.
There are a number of Gregory Corso's poetry manuscripts
as well as some poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, and some examples
of Jack Kerouac's poetry and prose, including a scroll that includes a partial
draft of
Mexico City Blues.
Of particular interest and importance in this series is William S. Burroughs's
"Interzone" manuscript-- the working title of what was later published as
Naked Lunch.
The manuscript was submitted to City
Lights Publishing, but rejected and returned to Allen Ginsberg who was acting as
Burroughs's literary agent.
Series III: Artwork and Photographs, 1961-1968 and Undated
This series is comprised of drawings and sketched executed by Ginsberg and his
friends. There are also a small number of photographs of Ginsberg in this
series.
Series IV: Sound Recordings and Recording Projects, 1967-1971
This series is comprised of records relating to Ginsberg's audio recordings with
Barry Miles on the Zapple label. Most of the documents in this series relate to
the planning and recording of Gnsberg's "Songs of Innocence and Experience by
William Blake, Tuned by Allen Ginsberg."
There are also two audio reels in this series, one of Ginsberg performing the
poems of William Blake and a recording of an interview with Ginsberg wherein he
talks about the hallucinogenic visions of Blake that he has while a college
student in New York.
Series V: Printed Material, 1956-1991
The Printed Material series is comprised primarily of small literary magazines and
newsletters that were either collected by Allen Ginsberg, include his work, or
include articles or biographical sketches about him. Included are examples of the
Poetry Project Newsletter and issues of
Unmuzzled
Ox.
There are a small number of books owned by or with contributions by
Ginsberg, most notable the first edition of
Howl and Other
Poems
published by City Lights in 1954.
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Using the Collection
Access Restrictions
This collection has no restrictions.
This collection is located on-site.
Restrictions on Use
Single photocopies may be made for research purposes. Permission to publish material
from the collection must be requested from the Curator of Manuscripts/University
Archivist, Rare Book and Manuscript Library (RBML). The RBML approves permission to
publish that which it physically owns; the responsibility to secure copyright permission
rests with the patron.
Preferred Citation
Identification of specific item; Date (if known); Allen Ginsberg Papers; Box and Folder;
Rare Book and Manuscript Library, Columbia University Library.
Selected Related Material-- at Columbia
Barry Miles
Papers,
Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
Peter Orlovsky Papers,
Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia
University.
William S.
Burroughs Papers,
Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia
University.
Gregory
Corso Papers,
Rare Book & Manuscript Library, Columbia University.
Selected Related Material-- Other Repositories
Allen Ginsberg
Papers,
Harry Ransom Humanities Research Center, University of Texas.
Allen Ginsberg Papers,
Department of Special Collections Green Library
Stanford University Libraries.
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About the Finding Aid / Processing Information
Columbia University Libraries. Rare Book and
Manuscript Library; machine readable finding aid created by Columbia University
Libraries Digital Library Program Division
Processing Information
Cataloged 06/--/1989 Christina Hilton Fenn
2 tape recordings Processed 01/15/1992 HR
Printed materials Processed 02/08/1995 HR
AG letters to A. Knight & replies Cataloged 10/08/1998 HR
Machine readable finding aid generated from MARC-AMC source via XSLT conversion
May 22, 2010
Finding aid written in English.
2010-05-22
xml document instance created by Carrie Hintz
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Subject Headings
The subject headings listed below are found in this collection. Links below allow searches at Columbia University through the Archival Collections Portal and through CLIO, the catalog for Columbia University Libraries, as well as ArchiveGRID, a catalog that allows users to search the holdings of multiple research libraries and archives.
All links open new windows.
Additional Creators
| Heading | CUL Archives:
Portal | CUL Collections:
CLIO | Nat'l / Int'l Archives:
ArchiveGRID |
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| Ball, Gordon. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
Genre/Form
Subjects
| Heading | CUL Archives:
Portal | CUL Collections:
CLIO | Nat'l / Int'l Archives:
ArchiveGRID |
|---|
| American literature--20th century. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Authors. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Barzun, Jacques, 1907- | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Beat generation. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Bohemianism--United States. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Bowles, Paul, 1910-1999. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Burroughs, William S., 1914-1997. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Cassady, Carolyn. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Cassady, Neal. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Charters, Ann. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Corso, Gregory. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Di Prima, Diane. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Ferlinghetti, Lawrence. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Ginsberg, Allen, 1926-1997. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Ginsberg, Louis, 1895-1976. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| India--Description and travel. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Kerouac, Jack, 1922-1969. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Literature publishing. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| McClure, Michael. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Miles, Barry, 1943- | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Orlovsky, Peter, 1933- | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Poets. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Trilling, Lionel, 1905-1975. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
| Van Doren, Mark, 1894-1972. | Portal | CLIO | ArchiveGRID |
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History / Biographical Note
Biographical Note
Allen Ginsberg, born Irwin Allen Ginsberg, grew up in Paterson
New Jersey with his parents, Louis and Naomi Ginsberg and his brother Eugene Brooks.
Both of Allen's parents were to be major influences on him and his work-- his father, a
poet and high school English teacher, was one of his earliest and most constant readers
and critics. His mother's mental illness would profoundly affect Ginsberg as well,
though in a very different way, ultimately inspiring Ginsberg's poem "Kaddish: for Naomi
Ginsberg 1894-1956."
Ginsberg left Paterson for New York City when he was accepted
to Columbia University as an undergraduate. He entered University in the Fall of 1943
and soon met fellow Columbia student, Lucien Carr who would introduce Ginsberg to Jack
Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. This group of friends would form the nucleus of the
Beat Generation. Though a brilliant student, Ginsberg was expelled from Columbia in 1945
for scrawling an obscenity on his window and for engaging in homosexual sex. He did,
however, return to the University the next year and completed his BA in 1948.
After Ginsberg's graduation he remained in New York City and
his apartment became a meeting place and crash pad for his group of friends, including
Herbert Huncke-- a drug addict, petty thief, and Times Square habitue. When the
apartment was busted containing Huncke's stolen goods, Huncke took the jail time, but
Ginsberg was still implicated. Rather than go to jail, Ginsberg plead that he was
psychologically unfit to stand trial and was sent to the Columbia Psychiatric Institute
for an eight month sentence. It was here that he met Carl Solomon, to whom he would
dedicate the poem "Howl."
After he was released from the psychiatric hospital, Ginsberg
remained in New York for a few years, starting to write and working odd jobs, before he
moved to San Francisco in 1953. Once he was in San Francisco, he met a group of
California artists and poets including Philip Whalen, Michael McClure, Philip Lamantia,
and Lawrence Ferlinghetti and became involved in the San Francisco Renaissance movement
that was taking place on the west coast literary scene. It was in San Francisco that
Ginsberg first wrote "Howl" and read it for the first time at the 1955 Six Gallery
reading hosted by Kenneth Rexroth. It was also in San Francisco that Ginsberg met Peter
Orlovsky who would be his lover, collaborator, and companion throughout the rest of his
life.
Ginsberg spent the next few years nominally based in New York
City, but traveling widely. He visited William Burroughs in Tangier, Morocco and
famously lived in Paris at "The Beat Hotel" at 9 Rue Git-le-coeur with Gregory Corso and
Willaim Burroughs where he helped assemble Burroughs's
The Naked
Lunch
manuscript. He and Peter Orlovsky spent the greater part of 1962-1963
in India. This experience would be the basis for his non-fiction book
Indian Journals.
He moved back to New York, living in both
the city and a farm house in Cherry Valley in upstate New York where he based his
non-profit artists' relief fund, The Committee on Poetry.
In 1974 Ginsberg helped to found the Jack Kerouac School of
Disembodied Poetics of the Naropa Institute where he was also a member of the faculty.
He returned to teach at his alma mater as a visiting professor in 1968 and took a
teaching position at Brooklyn College which he retained until his death of liver cancer
in 1997.
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