Best Minds: Allen Ginsberg and the Poem That Shook the World

“You can’t translate poetry into prose. That’s why it’s poetry.”

At a poetry reading at a San Francisco art gallery in October 1955, Allen Ginsberg — one of the defining members of the Beat generation — debuted a poem called "Howl." Lauded for its portrayal of what it meant to be an outcast in 1950s society and for its depiction of drug use and sexuality, its success led to Ginsberg's first collection of poetry. Within five months of its publication, the U.S. government seized some 300 copies of it, only to drop the case fairly quickly. The San Francisco police department, however, was not impressed and launched a local, as opposed to a federal, effort to ban the book from city bookstores. Literary freedom of speech was being put on trial yet again, and the poem was about to have the last laugh.

Additional narrations were provided by Sharon Hyland. Theme music is credited to Wendy Marcini, Elvin Vanguard, and Jules Gaia.

Instagram: @literaryscandals

Selected bibliography:

• "The 'Howl' Heard Round the World," Encyclopedia Britannica

• Black, Joel (2003). "'Arrested for Selling Poetry!' or 'You Wouldn't Want Your Children Reading This': The Historical Significance of the 'Howl' Obscenity Trial," Concordia University