He was often referred to as a Beat poet, but he didn’t think it was the right label. He said, “In some ways what I really did was mind the store.” Ferlinghetti co-founded City Lights, the alternative bookstore in San Francisco, California. In that role, he nurtured other writers and, when needed - as in the case of Allen Ginsberg publishing his book Howl - Ferlinghetti defended writing from censors and others who tried to silence controversial voices. As a poet, he wrestled with social and political issues and challenged the norms of his time. His 1958 collection of poems A Coney Island of the Mind has been translated into several languages and sold more than a million copies.
A b/w photo of Lawrence Ferlinghetti in the City Lights Bookstore, circa 1960s
Image source: Britannica
“Think long thoughts in short sentences.”
-American poet and publisher Lawrence Ferlinghetti, born on this day in 1919
#WriterSky #Poet #BookSky #CityLights #Beats #History #BOTD