I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg

I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg, by Bill Morgan

Writer Bill Morgan has put together a terrific, well-researched biography of Beat poet and social activist Allan Ginsberg. I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg is a dense yet breezy look at the life and work of the artist, who comes off as likable and very accommodating to friends and strangers alike while battling social injustices around the world. It's all here: The failed love affairs, working with Jack Kerouac to encourage William S. Burroughs to complete Naked Lunch, hanging out with Dylan & Satre, the protest marches and more. Likewise included is the story of how Ginsberg's seminal work Howl went through one censorship battle after another in the late 50s. (Mr. Morgan has edited a separate account of that period in the recently published Howl on Trial: The Battle for Free Expression which is also recommended.) If you're interested in checking out Mr. Ginsberg's work, the mammoth Collected Poems: 1947-1997 , also just released, is a good place to start.
-Ed