Allen Ginsberg Was The Voice Of The Beats. Now, Hear His Voice Online.

Allen Ginsberg Image by Getty Images

By Talya Zax July 24, 2017

Stanford Libraries have been on an Allen Ginsberg roll.

After digitizing Ginsberg’s manuscripts of his iconic poem “Howl” earlier this summer, Open Culture reports that Stanford has added a substantial archive of audio recordings related to Ginsberg’s career to their online offerings.

The materials include recordings of Ginsberg leading college lectures and workshops, like his famed Brooklyn College course on the Beat poets, interviews and readings from throughout his career, and conversations with Ginsberg’s family, including a 1975 talk between Ginsberg and his father, Louis Ginsberg, at a Passover seder.

So if you’re nostalgic for a bygone breed of modern anguish, or a bygone form of modern wonder, go forth and explore.

Talya Zax is the Forward’s opinion editor. Contact her at zax@forward.com or on Twitter, @TalyaZax.

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