Happy Birthday of Death

Rating:
Summary: it was a great book
Review: Gregory Corso is the only member of the Beat Generation who seems to be left out of the current revival of the Beats literature among today's youth. Which is a shame , because they're missing out on what is, in my opinion, the best poetry of the genre. "The Happy Birthday of Death" is the best example of this, as Corso makes a language that is uniquely his own, the sign of a first-class poet. The best poem is without a doubt "Bomb", his love ode (!) to nuclear war, but other titles such as "Power", "Army", "Police", and "Marriage" stand out as well as examples of "pure poetry" (to quote Ginsberg), deep in imagery and passion. The problem is, most people have never had the pleasure to read Corso's work. For myself, I don't know what I'd do without it.

Rating:
Summary: Corso:simply brilliant
Review: Gregory Corso must have been sitting in an empty room, with nothing more to think of than the emotions controlling his mind. In this book of poetry, the reader will gain a new appreciation for his work. The Happy Birthday of Death is one of the most powerful, and intense collections of writing available.

Rating:
Summary: The most underated writings of the 20th century
Review: Perhaps the man who along with Allan Ginsberg altered the way poetry was written and percieved. This is by far his most eclectic collection, featuring the masterful BOMB (perhaps the ultimate epithath for the 20th century) and the brilliant and moving MARRIAGE, POWER, CLOWN and POLICE more of the contents that show what a clever witty deep commentator Corso is. Poems you can mull ove? Definatly! Poems you can analyse? Undoubtable! But here is a collection you can read again and again and enjoy again and again.

Rating:
Summary: A Beat Poetry Classic
Review: This was the first Beat book of poetry I ever read, in my teens, and I felt compelled to read more. So I moved on to Ginsberg, and others. There's a poem in this collection that I get a real kick out of and I absolutely love. It's called "Marriage." Very funny and amusing. These poems are really unconventional and highly imaginative in their use of language and free form.

David Rehak
author of "Poems From My Bleeding Heart"