Description
Book SynopsisA San Francisco Chronicle Best Book of 2012
Lew Welch was a brilliant and troubled poet, legendary among his Beat peers. Ring of Bone collects poems, songs and even a few drawings, documenting the full sweep of his creative output, from his early years until just before his death. This new edition includes a biographic timeline and a statement of poetics gleaned from Welch''s own writing.
Welch entered Reed College in 1948, and the following year moved into a house with Gary Snyder; they were soon joined by Philip Whalen. With the emergence of the Beat movement, Welch''s friends began receiving national attention and his desire to devote himself completely to his poetry was galvanized. He soon became a part of the San Francisco poetry scene.
Legendary editor Donald Allen included Welch''s poetry in The New American Poetry—the seminal anthology published in 1960. That same year Welch''s first book, Wobbly Rock, was r
Trade Review
"Welch puts himself firmly in his poems, alternately vulnerable and proud, but always open."--The American Book Review "By nature of their visionary quality, these poems form a world of dreams and nightmares so convincingly that strict organization proves ultimately unnecessary. Instead, the poems speak to each other across time through their musical tonalities and recurring thematic tensions, thus constructing one of many "rings" invoked by the book's title..."--HTML Giant "Ring of Bone serves as an incisive and in-depth summary of Lew Welch's work and spirit. It remains required reading for both fans and scholars of the Beat Generation."--The Electric Review "Welch's poems ring true to our own experiences with a rare clarity amidst their jazz phrasings and spontaneous feel... I give Ring of Bone my strongest recommendation."--The Daily Beat "It's not all pretty Buddhist haiku-land, but often there is joy." --Galatea Resurrects
