Allen Ginsberg was without a doubt one of the most respected Beat writers and acclaimed American poets of his generation. Born in 1926 New Jersey to a teacher and Russian expatriate father, Ginsberg went on to exert a prominent influence in post-World War II American culture. Throughout his literary career, Ginsberg strongly opposed militarism, economic materialism and sexual repression. He became one of the pivotal figures of the Beat Movement which included famous writers such as Jack Kerouac and William S Burroughs and was known for his unconventional views, and frequently rambunctious behaviour. He championed gay rights and anti-war movements and openly protested the Vietnam War. Ginsberg embodied various aspects of this counterculture, such as his views on drugs, hostility to bureaucracy and openness to Eastern religions. Despite his counterculture background, he was recognized as America’s prolific writer and artistic icon. His most famous works include the poem, ‘Howl’ wherein he denounced the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity in US. His unconventional thoughts and counterculture belief is also visible on his quotes that perfectly describe his emotion and his thought. Check this section and find out some of the top quotes by Allen Ginsberg on life and living.
Concentrate on what you want to say to yourself and your friends. Follow your inner moonlight; don't hide the madness. You say what you want to say when you don't care who's listening.
Poetry is not an expression of the party line. It's that time of night, lying in bed, thinking what you really think, making the private world public, that's what the poet does.
What peaches and what penumbras! Whole families shopping at night! Aisles full of husbands! Wives in the avocados, babies in the tomatoes!--and you, Garcia Lorca, what were you doing down by the watermelons?