You Got to Burn to Shine: New and Selected Writings

By John Giorno

John Giorno's first collection of poetry in many years contains personal memoirs of his relationship with Andy Warhol and his thoughts on the AIDS problem. Giorno, a pioneer in performance poetry, is the founder of the AIDS Treatment Project in New York.

• Format: Paperback
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1852423218
• ISBN13: 9781852423216
• Release Date: January 1993
• Publisher: Serpent's Tail
• Length: 192 Pages
• Weight: 0.60 lbs.
• Dimensions: 0.5" x 5.0" x 8.0"

Customer Reviews

poetry from the trenches

John Giorno is one of the finest spoken word poets in New York City. He is also quite adept at getting the word down on paper, too. You Got to Burn to Shine is a great collection of poems. It even includes an introduction by William S Burroughs. Giorno writes poetry from the gut. It is free verse that swings with intensity. if you like a snifter of realism in your poetry then this book is for you. Giorno writes with a hard nosed frankness that is both poignant and refreshing without being overbearing. Poems like Stretching it Wider and (Last Night) I Gambled With My Anger and Lost are classic free verse. I read this collection with great delight.

A powerful look at the truth of life.

I found this book to be powerful and truthful. The context and the langauge were delicate machines portaying the life of the author. It should not be read by anyone with a closed mind.