POETICS Podcast: The Beat Generation-From Obscene to Canonical in One Generation

In 1957, a bookstore owner got arrested for selling Allen Ginsberg's 'Howl'—today, that same poem is assigned reading in high school English class. The Beat poets thought they were destroying the literary establishment with their wild, spontaneous, sexually explicit poetry, but they just ended up becoming the new establishment of American rebellion. It's the most predictable revolution in literary history, and it shows us something fascinating about how genuine artistic breakthroughs actually get absorbed into the culture they were trying to shake up. And a few other things I have opinions on. Get full access to Bainbridge Island Press at bainbridgeislandpress.substack.com/subscribe