A Coney Island of the Mind: Poems (New Directions Paperback No. 74)
List Price: $9.95
Price: $9.95
Lawrence Ferlinghetti is a unique poet. He doesn't follow the whole rhyme scheme of average poems but speaks in a casual, conversational manner - a very jazzy type of persona. I enjoyed reading his poems so much that I couldn't put it down. I laughed, I smirked, I felt sad and disgruntled - it was a fantastic collection of poems. As a graphic designer I really appreciated the text layout. The layout helped to emphasize the meaning of the poem and allows the reader to take the poem in. One of the poems that I really enjoyed was in the third section, poem 11. Ferlinghetti is witty and humorous yet deals with heavy issues of the world and of the human condition. These poems will give you insight into the tragic potential of post/modern life.
Not a fan of poetry
I personally am not a fan of poetry, but since I had recently become interested in Beat literature, I felt I must read this collection of poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The book is comprised of three sets of poems. In the first set is a rant against the absurdities of American culture. While I wouldn't consider myself an angry young man, I found this section to be quite refreshing.
The second set of poems, an Oral Message, is meant to be read aloud with jazz accompaniment. These were written in the 50's so it's sort of like a precursor to rap. I think I would have enjoyed this much more if I had seen it performed live.
The final 13 poems are from his first book and deal mostly with death.
Like I said I am not a huge fan of poetry, and most of these poems were case of hit or miss. Most enjoyed a great deal, some I didn't understand at all. Sometimes it was just a case of line or phrase that I found inspiring, but over all I really did enjoy this collection.
"I have risked enchantment..."
... I first read those words oh so many years ago, in the poem "Autobiography," and through the proverbial twists of fate, I've come to live in the Land thereof. There were those initial attractions when this book first came out, the black and white covers of New Directions paperbacks, the visceral title for one who had been to that "down market" fantasy land, Coney Island. Both announced a "path less traveled" from an industry of much hyped "best-sellers" of the big publishing houses. And on the first reading there were the appealing cadences and the tugs to the inchoate feelings that the path more traveled wasn't going to be just right, as in the poems "I Am Waiting" and "Christ Climbed Down." Imagine being outraged about the commercialization of Christmas so far back; Today we'd be nostalgic for those days we'd consider authentic. Prescient Ferlinghetti was also, in "Autobiography," when he said: "I see another war is coming..." for my own autobiography, and the war I was in, and later still, for the war my children were invited to.
But re-reading it some 40 years on, and there is a much deeper appreciation. I've read many of the books and seen the paintings that he makes allusions to, sometimes subtly, sometimes more straightforwardly. There is Hieronymous Bosch, Goya, Robin in Djuana Barnes' "Nightwood," the ending to Joyce's "Ulysses," Thomas Wolfe's "a leaf, a stone, an unfound door," Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," and Kafka's "Castle." Did he really make it to the Vaucluse to see the summer of sauterelles? Learning French helps in understanding also. What he was trying to say just makes so much more SENSE the second time around, now that you can "get" the analogies without footnotes.
Some lines hit the bull's eye for what we would become: "...on a concrete continent spaced with bland billboards illustrating imbecile illusions of happiness..." and "...from Lost Angeles to Heaven and promising Free Elections..." Also there is a most fitting rebuke, in the best New Directions' traditions, to the high priests of culture: "'Truth is not the secret of a few' yet you would maybe think so the way some librarians and cultural ambassadors and especially museum directors act, you'd think they had a corner on it the way they walk around shaking their high heads and looking as if they never went to the bath room or anything."
Lawrence Ferlinghetti will turn 90 this month, and congratulations are being accepted at the book store he founded, City Lights Books in San Francisco. Thanks for pointing the way; it took some of us a while to get there. An initial read, or a re-read would be a fitting celebration.
The Work That Keeps On Giving
Ferlinghetti's work is still being read by aspiring poets and artists at poetry readings all across America. I am still impressed no matter how many times I hear different poets read "I Am Waiting." For this poem alone the book is required reading, however the work ripples with great poems. If you love the spoken word or just reading poetry in a book, this work is an icon of modern American literature. Don't miss it.
An indispensible collection!
Like so many others, I discovered this slim volume of poetry as a teenager -- which may be the very best time to do so, as it invariably opens a lot of new doors at a crucial period of development. It certainly did just that for me!
Ferlinghetti brings an easy erudition, a delightful sense of humor, and an expansive humanity to his work. While he recognizes & deplores the human capacity for ignorance, fear & oppression, he never loses hope in our ability to rise above that, to transcend the drab everyday & find something more to life. Indeed, his work calls to us, asks us to do more than merely settle -- but it's always a call, not a command. His beliefs are strong & clear, but he's never hectoring or dogmatic.
Frankly, this volume is worth getting just for the poems "Constantly Risking Absurdity," "Christ Climbed Down," and especially "I Am Waiting" -- but there's so much more here as well! There's genuine wonder & joy in these poems ... and they'll also make you think. Ferlinghetti remains underrated to this day, which is a a pity; but if you sample this classic volume, you'll definitely want to read more of his work. Most highly recommended!
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Customer Reviews
Coney Island of the MindLawrence Ferlinghetti is a unique poet. He doesn't follow the whole rhyme scheme of average poems but speaks in a casual, conversational manner - a very jazzy type of persona. I enjoyed reading his poems so much that I couldn't put it down. I laughed, I smirked, I felt sad and disgruntled - it was a fantastic collection of poems. As a graphic designer I really appreciated the text layout. The layout helped to emphasize the meaning of the poem and allows the reader to take the poem in. One of the poems that I really enjoyed was in the third section, poem 11. Ferlinghetti is witty and humorous yet deals with heavy issues of the world and of the human condition. These poems will give you insight into the tragic potential of post/modern life.
Not a fan of poetry
I personally am not a fan of poetry, but since I had recently become interested in Beat literature, I felt I must read this collection of poems by Lawrence Ferlinghetti. The book is comprised of three sets of poems. In the first set is a rant against the absurdities of American culture. While I wouldn't consider myself an angry young man, I found this section to be quite refreshing.
The second set of poems, an Oral Message, is meant to be read aloud with jazz accompaniment. These were written in the 50's so it's sort of like a precursor to rap. I think I would have enjoyed this much more if I had seen it performed live.
The final 13 poems are from his first book and deal mostly with death.
Like I said I am not a huge fan of poetry, and most of these poems were case of hit or miss. Most enjoyed a great deal, some I didn't understand at all. Sometimes it was just a case of line or phrase that I found inspiring, but over all I really did enjoy this collection.
"I have risked enchantment..."
... I first read those words oh so many years ago, in the poem "Autobiography," and through the proverbial twists of fate, I've come to live in the Land thereof. There were those initial attractions when this book first came out, the black and white covers of New Directions paperbacks, the visceral title for one who had been to that "down market" fantasy land, Coney Island. Both announced a "path less traveled" from an industry of much hyped "best-sellers" of the big publishing houses. And on the first reading there were the appealing cadences and the tugs to the inchoate feelings that the path more traveled wasn't going to be just right, as in the poems "I Am Waiting" and "Christ Climbed Down." Imagine being outraged about the commercialization of Christmas so far back; Today we'd be nostalgic for those days we'd consider authentic. Prescient Ferlinghetti was also, in "Autobiography," when he said: "I see another war is coming..." for my own autobiography, and the war I was in, and later still, for the war my children were invited to.
But re-reading it some 40 years on, and there is a much deeper appreciation. I've read many of the books and seen the paintings that he makes allusions to, sometimes subtly, sometimes more straightforwardly. There is Hieronymous Bosch, Goya, Robin in Djuana Barnes' "Nightwood," the ending to Joyce's "Ulysses," Thomas Wolfe's "a leaf, a stone, an unfound door," Steinbeck's "The Grapes of Wrath," and Kafka's "Castle." Did he really make it to the Vaucluse to see the summer of sauterelles? Learning French helps in understanding also. What he was trying to say just makes so much more SENSE the second time around, now that you can "get" the analogies without footnotes.
Some lines hit the bull's eye for what we would become: "...on a concrete continent spaced with bland billboards illustrating imbecile illusions of happiness..." and "...from Lost Angeles to Heaven and promising Free Elections..." Also there is a most fitting rebuke, in the best New Directions' traditions, to the high priests of culture: "'Truth is not the secret of a few' yet you would maybe think so the way some librarians and cultural ambassadors and especially museum directors act, you'd think they had a corner on it the way they walk around shaking their high heads and looking as if they never went to the bath room or anything."
Lawrence Ferlinghetti will turn 90 this month, and congratulations are being accepted at the book store he founded, City Lights Books in San Francisco. Thanks for pointing the way; it took some of us a while to get there. An initial read, or a re-read would be a fitting celebration.
The Work That Keeps On Giving
Ferlinghetti's work is still being read by aspiring poets and artists at poetry readings all across America. I am still impressed no matter how many times I hear different poets read "I Am Waiting." For this poem alone the book is required reading, however the work ripples with great poems. If you love the spoken word or just reading poetry in a book, this work is an icon of modern American literature. Don't miss it.
An indispensible collection!
Like so many others, I discovered this slim volume of poetry as a teenager -- which may be the very best time to do so, as it invariably opens a lot of new doors at a crucial period of development. It certainly did just that for me!
Ferlinghetti brings an easy erudition, a delightful sense of humor, and an expansive humanity to his work. While he recognizes & deplores the human capacity for ignorance, fear & oppression, he never loses hope in our ability to rise above that, to transcend the drab everyday & find something more to life. Indeed, his work calls to us, asks us to do more than merely settle -- but it's always a call, not a command. His beliefs are strong & clear, but he's never hectoring or dogmatic.
Frankly, this volume is worth getting just for the poems "Constantly Risking Absurdity," "Christ Climbed Down," and especially "I Am Waiting" -- but there's so much more here as well! There's genuine wonder & joy in these poems ... and they'll also make you think. Ferlinghetti remains underrated to this day, which is a a pity; but if you sample this classic volume, you'll definitely want to read more of his work. Most highly recommended!
World Socialist Web SitePart 2: Human drama, partially treatedAmerican poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti is the subject of Christopher Felver's Ferlinghetti. Associated with the Beats in the 1950s, although not one of them, and longtime owner of City Lights bookstore and publishing, Ferlinghetti's life is an intriguing