I first read Allen Ginsburg’s Howl: The Graphic Novel many years ago. I was familiar with the poem, of course, but every time I read it I find something else. I do not know how many times I have read it and even after all those readings, I still do not understand it. In fact, I think if you say you do understand Howl, you are not being truthful. There are too many references the modern reader would not get. However, you get the jest: […]
They Can’t All Be Howl, I Guess
This is my first Ginsberg collection, and I’m not sure how many more I’m going to try. While the percussion and the music of some of the poems were fun and exhilarating, I found most of the book to be boring and tedious. Not all of it is Ginsberg’s fault. The book only covers the mid-1970s, and I wasn’t yet born, let alone sophisticated enough to understand world events via poems. I’m sure they would’ve hit me harder as a contemporary. What I did appreciate in […]