Deliberate Prose

Deliberate Prose Allen Ginsberg 536pp.

Allen Ginsberg, while most well-known as a poet, was phenomenally talented as an essayist as well. Ginsberg’s poetry, which teemed through every line with its intensely charged political rhetoric is very easily understood in light of these essays. The book can be understood in three sections: first, Ginsberg’s political beliefs, criticism of American military actions, and espousal of the use of marijuana and psychadelics; second, a discussion of his religious beliefs and experiences; and third, the majority of the book, a long series of essays about his friends and other writers he knew or studied.

This last section is by far the most useful collection of writing I have ever read for understanding Allen Ginsberg. Reading his own writing and explanation of other poets helps tremendously to place him in the context of the writers he loved so much. The lengthy explication of Whitman’s poetry provides more than a little bit of understanding into the work of that great master of American poetry. At the same time, however, it gives much more insight into Allen Ginsberg’s own theory of poetry.

Ginsberg was, in no small way, a 20^th century Whitman. His verse evolved as he became more established as a poet, working in the same long-form lines as Whitman. For now small period of time, I thought that this was where the similarity between the two poets was at its strongest. What I have realized, largely through this essay, is that Ginsberg does his most similar work through his choice of focus. Working in the same way as Carl Sandburg, Ginsberg focused on a thousand little images around the country, putting them together with a brutal sense of honesty to form a legendary corpus of poems.

These essays are marvelous. Allen Ginsberg’s writing pops with unexpected images and a constant freshness of language. Never does Ginsberg begin to develop any sense of detachment from his enjoyment of the things he writes about, but rather he enthusiastically discusses the things he loves. This enthusiasm carries over into the reader and creates a greatly enjoyable collection of writing.

Would I recommend Deliberate Prose? Yes.

Score: 4.2/5

Would I keep this on my shelf? Yes.

-Mr. Cheddar