Just Finished Reading: Television Was a Baby Crawling Toward That Death Chamber by Allen Ginsberg (FP: 2006) [55p] 

Coincidentally, this is the second booklet of poetry in a row from my sequential picks from the recently purchased Penguin Classics boxsets. As previously stated, I am not now, nor have I ever really been, anything approaching a fan of poetry. This slim volume has not changed that opinion. Being far more modern than my previous read – covering the poet's output from 1947-1997 – this was certainly more relatable to than the Victorian poems I read a few weeks back and covered far more ‘modern’ topics such as sex, drugs and (no doubt) rock ‘n roll.  

Being a ‘Beat’ poet, I did feel that the booklet should be read whilst slightly drunk, slightly high and probably with some lightly tapping bongos in the background. Ginsberg was a radical of the period and (from Wiki) “vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism, and sexual repression, and he embodied various aspects of this counterculture with his views on drugs, sex, multiculturalism, hostility to bureaucracy, and openness to Eastern religions”. This philosophy is very evident in his poems which drip with criticism of American culture and lifestyle. Both television and consumerism come in for some very harsh criticism. The last poem in the booklet - ‘C’mon Pigs of Western Civilization Eat More Grease’ - is a case in point, relentlessly pointing to the excessive eating habits of Americans especially as others around the world go hungry. 

There’s LOTS of pop culture and political references here and I’m afraid that most of them went somewhat over my head. I’m reasonably familiar with some US pop culture – especially post 50’s - but I’d have had to spend some time looking up things to even start to understand some of the poems in this collection. 

Whilst not exactly enjoyable reading, I wasn’t sorry that I have finally been introduced to one of the godfathers of Beat. If you’re curious about it/him this might be a useful entry point.