The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry

By Alan Kaufman and S.A. Griffin

Book Overview

The definitive collection of anti-establishment American poetry, from Bob Dylan and Jack Kerouac to Sapphire and Tupac Shakur
"Welcome to the Wild West of American Poetry, the Hole-In-The-Wall of Blakean vision, a two-fisted saloon of New World dreams where you'll meet the greatest Outlaw voices from the post-war era to the present day. Here are the inventors of the Beat generation and the heroes of today's Spoken Word movement, poets who don't get taught in American poetry 101, yet hold the literary future in their tattooed hands." So begins The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry, a primer for generational revolt and poetic expression, and an enduring document of the visionary tradition of authenticity and nonconformity in literature. From the Beat poetry of the '50s to the spoken word of the 1990s, The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry brings readers the words, visions, and extravagant lives of bohemians, beatniks, hippies, punks, and slackers. This exuberant manifesto includes lives of the poets, on-the-scene testimony, seminal underground articles never before collected, photographs of clubs and cafes, interviews, and, above all, the poems.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1560252278
• ISBN13: 9781560252276
• Release Date: October 1999
• Publisher: Basic Books (AZ)
• Length: 736 Pages
• Weight: 2.25 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.9" x 5.8" x 9.4"

Customer Reviews

Good for parties

I like to pick it up and just read some here and there. Fun stuff.

Gift Praise

Ordered as a birthday gift for my 34-year-old son whom I see about every six months. Did not give it to him until the car was packed and hugs were exchanged. Trip time was delayed and bigger hugs were exchanged. I am a devious mom and knew how to plan this if I wanted a good visit. Have received numerous emails and calls beginning with "Mom, you've got to hear/read this." Bought it for him, not for me. He gives it 5 stars as a "must read," and I give it 5 stars as a good gift for young adult poetry readers.

Who Gives a *beep* what the price is buy this book

I found this book on accident and couldn't put it down for days. Anyone w/ an open mind and a love for poetry must read this book. Kaufman not only included some of the best radical poetry in america, but also goes through great pains to make sure the reader is educated on the authors and the poems back grounds.

Walls to break, realities to shake...

A good friend of mine gave me this book as a gift a few years ago. I have heard of many of the poets included and discovered a few that I now consider my favorites. One of these poets is David Lerner. Every poem of his that was included in this volume are perfect works of art. It is a shame that his books are out of print and hard to find. Mike Topp's poems broke new ground to me. Through his work, I discovered poetry in things that I have never noticed before. I highly recommend this collection to those looking for non-traditional approaches to poetry.

The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry is brilliant!

The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry by Alan Kaufman is a brilliant anthology, maybe the greatest anthology of new American poetry I've ever read. Part of its genuis is that"Outlaw" breaks new ground, introducing poets unknown to the mainstream while showing how they belong to the Outlaw lineage begun by WC Williams and later the Beats. And I like the way "Outlaw" mixes up the poetry with mini-histories of poets live's and scenes and has lots of wild pictures of poets and motorcycles and cafes and what not. That's great. This book announces a new canon in Americn poetry, has the depth and insight to be taught in classrooms even, but I bet every dreaming kid too from New York to Wichita to LA is going to read this book as a manifesto of revolt and liberation and to get up and do something with your life, be a poet of life!