Beat Poet Allen Ginsberg Visits Coop

Appearing yesterday at the Harvard Coop to promote his newest poetry collection, controversial "beat" poet Allen Ginsberg described "White Shroud," as one of the "dirtiest" yet.

More than 75 aficionados came to meet the poet, best known as the writer of "Howl" and as a representative of the beatnik generation of the 1950's, and to get signed copies of the book, said Coop book buyer George Stephens.

"White Shroud," a book about "sex, politics, meditation, and problems with advancing old age, is a natural progression from what Walt Whitman asked for in American poets--candor," Ginsberg said.

Ginsberg said that his new book is highly critical of the Reagan administration and its policies. "Reagan came in on getting the government off our backs and lowering the national debt," he said, "and they've done exactly the opposite."

"The point of the first poem, 'Industrial Waste,' is that the mentality of the new right people is the same as the Soviet bureaucrats," he said.

"I say 'a plague on both their houses including their paid sycophants and Svengalis at Harvard University, namely [Baird Professor of History] Richard Pipes''' he said.

Many fans of his poetry cite his openness as part of what makes his poetry worth reading.

"What intrigues me is how bluntly he lashes out at governments and the establishment," said Susan S. Harmeling '87 of Adams House.

But at least one person in line to get his copy signed was slower to endorse Ginsberg's unabashed verse. "I sort of have reservations about his poetry," said Noah P. Delissovoy '90 of Canaday. "He's too frank."

Ginsberg said that much of the book deals with "visionary encounters with the dead, such as William Carlos Williams, my mother and my family."

"There is also a certain amount of rock and roll," he said, citing several poems which are set to music. "Music and poetry have gone together since Homer and Sappho," said Ginsberg, who sang last year at Sander's Theatre and also sang on the Clash's rock album "Combat Rock."

Buyers of Ginsberg's book generally appreciated his adherence to the ideas he advocated in his earlier years.

"He hasn't turned against his former values," said Derek M. Newman '90 of Greenough. "He's one of the few living symbols of the beatnik culture of the '50's."

"I see him as a symbol of counterculture and the sense of rebellion against the establishment," said Allan Brison of Somerville, who said he is not an avid reader of poetry but simply likes what Ginsberg stands for.

However, Ginsberg did have his critics.

"I never really liked his poetry, but I figured I'd get the book for posterity," said Bobbi Hugus of Boston after exchanging harsh words with Ginsberg. "Because he's a poet and can say 'ah' doesn't put him in the same category with Yeats and Keats."

The event was part of an ongoing effort by the Coop to bring authors into the bookstore to promote their books, said Stephens. Next week will feature Casey Jones, coach of the Boston Celtics and author of a new book called "Rebound," he said.