Director: COLIN STILL
Cast includes: STEVE ALLEN, EUGENE BROOKS, WILLIAM F.BUCKLEY
64 MINS / 1997 / UK / ENGLISH

Allen Ginsberg was an acclaimed poet and a leading figure of the Beat Generation along with Jack Kerouac and William S.Burroughs, with the trio becoming known for their unconventional views and rambunctious behaviour. Ginsberg's radical literary works and advocacy for social change left an indelible mark on American counterculture.

He first came to public attention in 1956 with the publication of Howl and Other Poems, an outcry of rage and despair against a destructive, abusive society. The poem’s raw, honest language stunned many traditional critics and led to an obscenity trial, in which Ginsberg triumphed and Howl became the manifesto of the Beat Movement, paving the way for other challenging works to be published. 

An outspoken voice for human rights, gay liberation and freedom of speech, Ginsberg was also a buddhist and the most politically-engaged poet of the 20th century. This documentary includes his final television interview and footage from his last days. The title itself is a quote from his 1959 poem "Kaddish".

Screening includes two short films What Were They Like? and Father Death, both directed by Colin Still.

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