Howl and Other Poems by Allen Ginsberg

I listened via Hoopla. It's not an audiobook there, but instead considered a music album so you can only check it out for 1 week instead of 3, but you don't need 3 so it's fine.

It's performed by the author, and I do believe Howl could be performed well, but this recording was kind of crap, unless Ginsberg is always so monotone/shouty. Maybe that's the beat feel? I've seen better poetry recitations on youtube.

I give it 3 stars for its importance in history, but it's about on par with what everyone is producing these days, as opposed to really good work which is really good even decades and centuries later. I can read similar stuff, or better stuff on tumblr or twitter or onlyfans, let's be honest. Ginsberg's significance of being loud and unashamed of his homosexuality and stretching the bounds of the freedom of speech is great, so kudos to him for living in the right place and time, but if he wrote this today, it wouldn't get much attention.