BEAT POETRY & THE COUNTERCULTURAL MOMENT

Rosset, Barney, editor.

Evergreen Review. Volume 5, Number 18. May–June 1961. [Beat Generation • Allen Ginsberg writing about LSD • Lawrence Ferlinghetti • Jean Genet • Brendan Behan]

A STRIKING ISSUE OF THE EARLY EVERGREEN REVIEW.
This issue brings together major Beat Generation writers, international avant-garde literature, experimental poetry, and contemporary cultural commentary. The contents include Allen Ginsberg's Lysergic Acid, Lawrence Ferlinghetti's One Thousand Fearful Words for Fidel Castro, Jean Genet's From Our Lady of the Flowers, Brendan Behan's Where We All Came into Town, and Octavio Paz's The Blue Bouquet.

The issue is especially appealing to collectors of Ginsberg and Ferlinghetti, but its interest extends beyond the literary contents. Advertising and promotional material documents the independent publishing world of the early 1960s, including recordings, small presses, bookstores, and unconventional literary works.

A particularly memorable feature is a three-page photographic advertisement for I Am a Lover, a book of photographs by Evan S. Connell Jr. The advertisement combines photographs, provocative text, and a distinctly countercultural approach to book promotion.

PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS.
+++ Staple-bound literary magazine in illustrated paper wrappers, 5.5 × 8 inches. 128 pages.
+++ Volume 5, Number 18, May–June 1961. Published by Evergreen Review, Inc., New York.
+++ Pictorial cover prominently featuring Brendan Behan and Jean Genet, with references to Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michel Butor, and Octavio Paz.
+++ CONTENTS: Brendan Behan, Where We All Came into Town; Pete Brown, Thoughtful; Jean Genet, From Our Lady of the Flowers; Lawrence Ferlinghetti, One Thousand Fearful Words for Fidel Castro; Aidan Higgins, Winter Offensive; Allen Ginsberg, Lysergic Acid; Mack Sheldon, Magnolia; Edward Field, two poems; Alfred Chester, The Victory—A Fable; and Octavio Paz, The Blue Bouquet. Also includes reviews and criticism by Martin Williams, Jerry Tallmer, and Michel Butor.

CONDITION: VERY GOOD. Binding tight and square, with a slight spine lean. Text is clean with light, even age-toning. Moderate shelf and handling wear. Previous owner's stamp on the second page of advertisements.

BEAT POETRY AND THE COUNTERCULTURAL MOMENT:
ALLEN GINSBERG'S LYSERGIC ACID.
One of the principal attractions is Ginsberg's Lysergic Acid, an early literary exploration of psychedelic experience. The poem is particularly interesting as a document of the period before psychedelic experimentation became a defining feature of the later 1960s counterculture. This issue is specifically noted for its early appearance of Ginsberg's writing on LSD. 

FERLINGHETTI AND POLITICAL PROTEST.
Ferlinghetti's One Thousand Fearful Words for Fidel Castro connects the magazine's experimental literary interests with contemporary political debate. Ferlinghetti was a central figure in the Beat literary movement, and his work here adds appeal for collectors of City Lights publications, Beat poetry, and political verse.

GENET, BEHAN, AND INTERNATIONAL LITERATURE.
The inclusion of Jean Genet and Brendan Behan demonstrates the magazine's interest in writers whose work challenged conventional literary and social expectations. The issue also features Michel Butor and Octavio Paz, extending its international reach.

THE ADVERTISING AS A CULTURAL RECORD
The advertisements offer a nice glimpse into the literary and cultural world of 1961, from new paperbacks and jazz and folk recordings to independent bookstores and alternative publications. Particularly eye-catching is the three-page "I Am a Lover" advertisement, with its photographs and unconventional promotion.

GENRES: Literary Magazines, Little Magazines, Beat Literature, Beat Poetry, Avant-Garde Literature, Experimental Poetry, Political Literature, International Literature, Literary Criticism, Photographic Advertising.

SUBJECTS: Evergreen Review, Barney Rosset, Allen Ginsberg, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Jean Genet, Brendan Behan, Octavio Paz, Michel Butor, Beat Generation, Psychedelic Literature, LSD, Political Poetry, Fidel Castro, Avant-Garde Culture, 1960s Counterculture, Evan S. Connell Jr.

Item #22600

Price: $24.00