Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997)
American poet and one of the leading members of the Beat Generation. Born in New Jersey, Ginsberg studied at Columbia University, where he became friend with Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs. His first published work was Howl and Other Poems (1956). In it, the poet deals with such themes as homosexuality, drug addition, Buddhism and he manifests his rage against materialistic values pervading post World War II North America.
In 1961, appeared one of his most important works, Kaddish, a confessional poem about his mother's death, where Ginsberg describes their tormented relationship and tries to come to terms with her illness and finally with her death.
In the 1960s, Ginsberg travelled widely and took an active part in the anti-Vietnam War movement. Among his other famous works are: Planet News (1968); The Fall of America: Poems of These States, 1965-1971 (1972), which won the National Book Award; Mind Breaths: Poems 1972-1977 (1978); and White Shroud: Poems 1980-1985 (1986). His Collected Poems 1947-1980 appeared in 1984.