“...couples going nude into the sad water in the profound lasciviousness of Spring in an algebra of lyricism which I am still deciphering.”
Not only is this Ferlinghetti’s first book, it’s the first publication by his bookstore and printing company City Lights in San Francisco, which went on to put out books by fellow poets Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder and many others. Ferlinghetti just died a few years ago at the age of 101! These poems are printed in scattered fashion across the pages, making use of wide unused spaces and without punctuation or justified edges. Altogether, they give the impression of someone reflecting upon considerable travels around the world. Ferlinghetti has the same detached, ironic voice of most of his fellow Beats, reacting to human activity with an alien’s bemusement and a bit of disdain. By far, my favorite poem in this collection is ‘The World is a Beautiful Place.’
“The world is a beautiful place to be born into, if you don’t mind some people dying all the time.”
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