Ginsberg's Translations of Apollinaire and Genet in the Development of his Poetics of "Open Secrecy"
Abstract
In her article "Ginsberg's Translations of Apollinaire and Genet in the Development of his Poetics of 'Open Secrecy'" Véronique Lane analyzes the extent to which the journals, letters and poems of Allen Ginsberg are marked by constant reference to literary models that give just as much weight to French as to American writers. Focusing on his long involvement with Guillaume Apollinaire and Jean Genet's works, Lane argues that Ginsberg meticulously constructed the genealogy of his poetry through a threefold strategy of literary quotation, translation and encryption. Uncovering this strategy through analysis of "Howl," "At Apollinaire's Grave," and "Death to Van Gogh's Ear!" does more than simply nuance or deepen our understanding of Ginsberg's work in the 1950s; it reveals that it was largely through his engagement with French literature that he developed the very aesthetic and hermeneutic method of his poetry.
Recommended Citation
Lane, Véronique.
"Ginsberg's Translations of Apollinaire and Genet in the Development of his Poetics of "Open Secrecy"."
CLCWeb: Comparative Literature and Culture
18.5
(2016):
<https://doi.org/10.7771/1481-4374.2976>
This text has been double-blind peer reviewed by 2+1 experts in the field.
The above text, published by Purdue University Press ©Purdue University, has been downloaded 696 times as of 01/20/25.
Included in
American Literature Commons, French and Francophone Literature Commons, Translation Studies Commons
