Deliberate Prose: Selected Essays 1952-1995

“Arranged in sections on politics, drugs, spirituality, censorship, autobiography, the beats generally, contemporary American writers Ginsberg admired, and other writers and artists, [Deliberate Prose] is splendidly browseable.” — Booklist

Ginbserg, known worldwide for his provocative poems, was an undeniably compelling figure in American letters, whether criticizing the American government, protesting state-sanctioned wars, or denouncing capitalistic tendencies. His personal essays on Jean Genet, Andy Warhol, Philip Glass, and others serve as close portraits of his fellow artists. His views on free speech and the Beats, among other topics, reflect the concerns of the postwar culture he took pleasure in shaping.

Evocative, playful, and completely of the moment, these essays offer a social history of modern America that remind us of the events and issues that preoccupied the minds of a nation—and one of its most influential citizens—in the postwar years.