Promotional Information

Repackaged and refreshed, this seminal biography of a counter-cultural icon is re-issued to form a core part of the Virgin backlist

About the Author

Barry Miles is author of many seminal books on popular culture, including the authorised biography of Paul McCartney, Paul McCartney- Many Years from Now; Ginsberg- A Biography; Jack Kerouac- King of the Beats and The Beat Hotel- Ginsberg, Burroughs and Corso in Paris, 1957-1963.

Reviews

This is a scholarly work and also much fun.
*Guardian*

Will surely be consulted as an Ur-text for decades to come. Read it at the end, along with Ginsberg's fifteen best books, and you'll know why he matters.
*Sunday Times*

Skilfully evokes the poet's childhood, authoritatively expresses his opinions on sundry matters of later life and work, gives him his due as lifeforce of youthful rebellion and in the 1960s counter. Read it; you'll enjoy yourself.
*New York Times*

Concentrating on the simultaneity of the public and private in Ginsberg's life, Miles gives us a richer insight into his poetic value - and a better read - than many a tight-lipped critical filleting.
*Time Out*

This is a scholarly work and also much fun. * Guardian *
Will surely be consulted as an Ur-text for decades to come. Read it at the end, along with Ginsberg's fifteen best books, and you'll know why he matters. -- Michael Horowitz * Sunday Times *
Skilfully evokes the poet's childhood, authoritatively expresses his opinions on sundry matters of later life and work, gives him his due as lifeforce of youthful rebellion and in the 1960s counter. Read it; you'll enjoy yourself. -- Paul Berman * New York Times *
Concentrating on the simultaneity of the public and private in Ginsberg's life, Miles gives us a richer insight into his poetic value - and a better read - than many a tight-lipped critical filleting. -- Saul Frampton * Time Out *