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ADMINISTRATIVE INFORMATION    

Title
Allen Ginsberg Collection

Collection Number
SC 332

OCLC Number
1035197631

Creator 
Various

Provenance 
Books and magazines (approximately 90 items) were donated by Harry Cuttler in 1989. Un the 1990s, the department added related materials to the collection. It was not possible to separate the materials by provenance, so it has remained as one collection.

Extent,Scope, and Content Note 
The collection is comprised of 8.3 linear ft. of materials authored by and about Allen Ginsberg: literary magazines, correspondence, recordings, posters, and broadsides.

Arrangement and Processing Note
Processing completed by Special Collections in December 2005.
Finding aid updated and revised in June 2019.

The collection is arranged in five series:
Series 1: Literary Magazines
Series 2: Newspaper Articles
Series 3: Writings - Correspondence and Manuscripts
Series 4: Recordings
Series 5: Photographs 
Series 6: Literary Broadsides, Posters and Oversized Print Materials

Language
English 

Restrictions on Access
The collection is open to researchers without restriction.

Rights and Permissions 
Stony Brook University Libraries' consent to access as the physical owner of the collection does not address copyright issues that may affect publication rights. It is the sole responsibility of the user of Special Collections and University Archives materials to investigate the copyright status of any given work and to seek and obtain permission where needed prior to publication.  

Citation 
[Item], [Box], Allen Ginsberg Collection, Special Collections and University Archives, Stony Brook University Libraries.

Historical Note
Acclaimed poet Allen Ginsberg (1926-1997) was born in Newark, N.J. and was raised in Paterson, N.J., where his father, Louis Ginsberg, himself a poet, taught high school English. Allen Ginsberg's mother was confined for years in a mental hospital. He mourned for her in his long poem titled Kaddish (1961). In 1943, while attending Columbia University, Ginsberg befriended Jack Kerouac and William Burroughs, who later established themselves as significant contributors to the Beat Movement. After leaving Columbia in 1948, Mr. Ginsberg traveled widely and worked at a number of jobs, including cafeteria floor mopper to market researcher. In 1956, Allen Ginsberg's first published book of poetry, Howl and Other Poems, lamented what he believed to have been the destruction by insanity of the "best minds of [his] generation." Expressive and raw with honesty, the poem revealed Ginsberg's opinions on homosexuality, drug addiction, Buddhism, and his revulsion from what he saw as the materialism and insensitivity of post-World War II America. Ginsberg began a life of ceaseless travel, reading his poetry at campuses and coffee bars, traveling abroad, and engaging in left-wing political activities. Empty Mirror, Kaddish and Other Poems and Reality Sandwiches were all published in the early 1960s. He became an influential guru of the American youth counterculture in the late 1960s. He acquired a deeper knowledge of Buddhism, and increasingly a religious element of love for all sentient beings entered his work. His later volumes of poetry included Planet News (1968); The Fall of America: Poems of These States, 1965-1971 (1972), which won the National Book Award and White Shroud: Poems 1980-1985 (1986). Allen Ginsberg died of a heart attack while suffering from liver cancer on April 5, 1997 in New York City. (Sources: Encyclopedia Britannica Online and the Gale Literary Database Contemporary Authors)

Subjects
Ginsberg, Allen, -- 1926-1997.
Ginsberg, Allen, -- 1926-1997 -- Correspondence.
Ginsberg, Louis, -- 1895-1976.
Ginsberg, Edith.
McReynolds, David.
Orlovsky, Peter, -- 1933-2010.
Targ, William, -- 1907-
Poets, American.
American literature -- 20th century.
Beats (Persons)
American literature.

INVENTORY

Series 1: Literary Magazines

Box 1: A through Caterpillar

American Review, 16, 1973
Big Sky, No. 1, 1971 / Big Sky, No. 2, 1972
Big Table, 2, 1959
Big Table, 3, 1959
Big Table, 4, 1960
Birth, No. 3, Bk. 1, 1960
Boss, Summer, 1966
Boston University Journal, XXVI, 1977
Bust, No. 1, 1968
The Cambridge Review, No. 6, 1956
Caterpillar, 3/4, 1968
Caterpillar, 13, 1970

Box 2: Chirmo through Damascus

Chirmo, 1968
City Lights Journal, No. 1, 1963
City Lights Journal, No. 2, 1964
City Lights Journal, No. 4, 1978
The Coldspring Journal, n.d.
El Corno Emplumado, 17, 1966
The Cottonwood Review, Nov. 1966
The Cottonwood Review, Vol. 4, No. 1, 1967
Coyote's Journal, 5&6, 1966
Damascus Road, 1, 1961

Box 3: Evergreen through New Departures

Evergreen Review, No. 2, 1957
Evergreen Review, No. 4, 1957
Evergreen Review, No. 8, 1959
Evergreen Review, No. 10, 1959
Evergreen Review, No. 11, 1960
Evergreen Review, No. 18, 1961
Hika, Vol. 28, No. 3, Spring/Summer, 1966
Hudson Review, Vol. 32, No. 1, Spring, 1979
Kulchur, Spring, 1960
Madness: Poems of Ray Bremser, Intro by Allen Ginsberg, 1965
Naropa Institute Newsletter, 1977
New Departures, Nos. 2/3, 1960

Box 4: New York through Stony Brook

New York Quarterly, No. 6, Spring, 1970
Nomad New York, 10/11, 1962
Olympia, No. 1, 1962
Pa' Lante New Writing: Cuba/Ivan/USA, 1962
Partisan Review, Summer, 1959
The Paris Review, 37, 1966
The Paris Review, 50, 1968
Pennsylvania Literary Review, 1960
Poetry, Vol. 103, No. 4, 1964
Residu, 1:1, Spring, 1965
Some/thing, Vol. 3, No. 1, 1966
Stony Brook, 1/2, Fall, 1968

Box 5: Underdog through Yugen

Underdog, No. 7, 1965
Unmuzzled Ox, Vol. 1, No. 4, 1972
Unmuzzled Ox, Vol. 3, No. 2, 1975
Wagner, Spring, 1950
West Hills Review, Issue No. 1, 1979
Yugen, 5, 1959
Yugen, 7, 1961
Assorted Articles, Publications, Magazines, Etc.
Assorted Oversized Literary Magazines

Box 6: Avant through F*** You

Avant Garde, 14, 1971
Bananas, No. 20, April 1980/Bastard Angel, Spring 1972
Bastard Angel, Spring 1972
Brown Paper: An Occasional Magazine of Poetry, 1966
Columbia College Today, Spring/Summer 1981
The Dessert Review, Spring 1964
East Side Review, Jan/Feb 1966
Evergreen Review, No. 36, June 1965
Evergreen Review, Vol. 10, No. 40, 1966
Evergreen Review, No. 42, Aug. 1966
Evergreen Review, Vol. 11, No. 46, 1967
The Free A & A, No. 1, 1969
The Floating Bear, No. 21, 1962
F*** You Magazine of the Arts, No. 5, Vol. 7, Sept. 1964
Grist, No. 8, 1966

Box 7: Intrepid through WIN

Intrepid, 10 and 11/12, 1968 & 1969
Journal for the Protection of All Beings, No. 4, Fall 1978
Klacto, 23, 1967
Latitudes, Vol. 1, No. 2, Summer 1967
Mediterranean Review, No. 2, Winter 1971
The Paris Magazine, October 1967
New Age, Vol. 8, No. 11, June 1983
Playboy, January 1967
Saturday Morning (NYC Issue), Vol. II, No. 1 & 2, Summer 1978
The Second Coming Magazine, July 1961
Neurotica, Spring 1950
A Shout in the Street, Vol. 1, No. 1, 1976
Sinapse, 3, January 1965
Win, March 3, 1977

Series 2: Newspaper Articles

Box 8

"Ginsberg in Warsaw," International Herald Tribune, Saturday & Sunday, September 13 & 14, 1986
"& Violets Are Blue: On Father's Day, The Ginsberg's 2," The New York Times, Sunday, June 16, 1974
"A Reading and a Mourning," The New York Times Book Review, October 23, 1977
"Allen Ginsberg: Some Things Have Changed," San Francisco Chronicle, Thursday, August 31, 1978
"Poet as Mirror of Our Age," The New York Times, n.d.
"Come all Ye Brave Boys," The Toy Sun, January 1, 1976
"Ginsbergs in Great Neck: An Odd Night, A Good Class," North Shore Community Section (of Great Neck Record, Port Washington News, Manhasset Press, Roslyn News, and Glen Cove Record Pilot), Thursday, November 27, 1969
"Ginsberg Visited Too Late," Artist's Forum, Vol. 1, No. 1, April 1977
"Times Past at the Beat Hotel," The Paris Metro, August 16, 1978
"Ginsberg Asks 44 Questions About Leary," Berkeley Barb, Vol. 20, No. 10, Issue 475, September 20 to 26, 1974

Series 3: Writings - Correspondence and Manuscripts

Box 9

Cuttler, Harry
McReynolds, David, 1977
Ginsberg, Edith (Allen Ginsberg's stepmother)
Postcard from Allen Ginsberg, 1976
Postcard from Allen Ginsberg, 1988
Ginsberg, Louis (Allen Ginsberg's Father)
Newspaper Clipping of Poem, "Emily" by Louis Ginsberg
Clipping of Poem, "Atlantis" by Louis Ginsberg, Minnesota Review, Winter 1966
Newspaper Clipping of "Keep An Open Mind" by Louis Ginsberg, Paterson Eve News
Leary, Timothy
Uncorrected proofs of Epilogue inserted in second printing of "The Politics of Ecstasy" by Timothy Leary. Essay reached publisher too late for inclusion in the first edition.
Postcards from Allen Ginsberg to William Targ (2)
Original typed copy of A. Ginsberg's "Remarks Concerning Timothy Leary's Politics of Ecstasy," with Allen Ginsberg's seal at close
McReynolds, David, War Resisters League
Gallery Announcement of Wynn Chamberlain, with an essay by Allen Ginsberg
Letter on Naropa Institute letterhead
3 postcards
Copy of Plutonian Ode
Copy of undated material from F.B.I. files
Letter to Harry Cuttler on back of a photograph
Correspondence with Bill Morgan
Letters (2) and postcard (1) from Allen Ginsberg regarding the War Resisters League; 1 Letter to Harry Cuttler
Letter to Harry Cuttler including envelope with "No Nukes!" with a doodle by A. Ginsberg over Einstein stamp
Orlovsky, Peter (A. Ginsberg's partner)
Naropa Institute Postcard from Allen Ginsberg to David McReynolds, mention of P. Orlovsky, 1979
Gotham Book Mart Postcard from Peter Orlovsky to David McReynolds, 1978
Letter to Ralph (?), with copy of "Love Poem" to A.J. Muste
Letter to Peter Orlovsky from David McReynolds (?), and letter from David McReynolds to H. Cuttler
Assorted  letters and papers
3 Letters; 2 addressed to Bill (?), and 1 without address
Assorted correspondence (2 letters in leather folio)
Letter to "Mr. Targ" 
Letter to "Bill" (?)
Printing plate. Vietnam "Vote McGovern." Chain letter from David McReynolds and The War Resisters League.

Series 4: Recordings

Box 10

"Howl". 1 sound disc : analog, 33 1/3 rpm ; 12 in. Edition recorded: the author's work of the same title, and his Kaddish and other poems (San Francisco, City Lights Pocket Bookshop, 1956 and 1959). Recorded in Chicago, Jan. 1959, and in San Francisco, June 1959. Autobiographical note on slipcase. [Berkeley, CA] : Fantasy, [1959]

Untitled television program. New York Channel 13 (PBS), on magnetic tape includes Samuel Beckett (McGowran) sec. cliches (about halfway).

"Pull My Daisy" (from the "No More Walls" album); includes "Going North" by David Avram (from the "No More Walls" album). 

Series 5: Photographs

Photographs
Poster Card, 1967
Photograph, 1978?
Photographs (3) from David McReynolds of Allen Ginsberg at book signing (?) with letter to Harry Cuttler
Miscellany

Series 6: Literary Broadsides, Posters, and Oversized Print Materials

"A Strange New Cottage in Berkeley." Literary broadside. Allen Ginsberg (signature), from an edition of 300 copies printed at the Grabhorn Press, San Francisco. Woodcut by Robert La Vigne (signature).

"Consulting I Ching Smoking Pot Listening to the Fugs Sing Blake." Literary broadside. Allen Ginsberg, June 1966

"Entering Kansas City High." Literary broadside. Allen Ginsberg. Formula Series No. 5, 1967. T. Williams, Publisher

"Guerilla Lovefare." Event poster. Reading by Allen Ginsberg in Detroit Michigan, Feb. 26, 1967. (encapsulated)

"It's War on All Fronts," Literary Broadside, Allen Ginsberg, March 6, 1966

"Kral Majalesb" Literary broadside. Allen Ginsberg, May 7, 1965.

Robert La Vigne, "Art Exhibition at The Lion," San Francisco. Promotional poster by Allen Ginsberg, 1958. 

"Who Be Kind To."  Literary broadside. Allen Ginsberg, June 10, 1965.