<p>At the height of the Beat craze, Allen Ginsberg, still working on poems for the book to follow "Howl," spent an afternoon with David Ossman, host of radio's "The Sullen Art." The transcript of this 90-minute uninhibited near-monologue, recorded in December 1960, is the centerpiece of this new and expanded edition of 28 unique and personal conversations on the state of America's poetry at a pivotal moment in its history. Writers interviewed are as diverse as Denise Levertov, Robert Creeley, Paul Blackburn, and Amiri Baraka (then LeRoi Jones); Robert Duncan, W. S. Merwin, and Robert Bly; translator/editors Kenneth Rexroth and Jerome Rothenberg, future Fug Tuli Kupferberg; avant-gardists Rochelle Owens, and Jackson Mac Low. Ossman, a pioneer producer for FM radio, created "The Sullen Art" at New York's WBAI. Transcripts of some of these interviews were first published in 1963 by Corinth Books. A poet, novelist, and playwright, Ossman is perhaps best known as a member of the celebrated comedy troupe, The Firesign Theatre. He contributes an introduction, personal recollections, and biographies to this updated edition. The book includes a CD recording of Ossman's 1961 radio documentary, featuring the voices of many of the poets included in this edition.</p>

The Sullen Art: Recording the Revolution in American Poetry

David Ossman

University of Toledo Press

<p>Large paperback with red illustrated cover. Tiny bit of edge and corner wear. Owners small inscription inside front cover. Illustrated with black and white photographs. 10x7 with 144 pp.</p>

The Firesign Theatre's Big Book of Plays

Peter Berman

Philip Austin

Philip Proctor

Straight Arrow Books

See the best price to sell, buy, or rent books by David Ossman. BookScouter helps to compare book prices from 25+ online bookstores and 30+ buyback vendors with a single search.

Books by David Ossman