The Poet and the City: Reflections on Urban Perceptions in Allen Ginsberg’s and Frank O’Hara’s Poetry

Abstract

This paper aims to take a look at the approach of two American postmodern poets to the city. Allen Ginsberg’s poems “Thoughts on a Breath” and “Havana” and Frank O’Hara’s “A Step Away from them” and “The day Lady died” will be analyzed and interpreted to provide insight into the two poets’ relationship to the City. Where insightful and useful for the analysis of the poems, other authors will be drawn upon for critical comments on Ginsberg’s and O’Hara’s poetry and on their lives. The conclusion will focus on the differences between the two poets concerning the evocation of the city in their poetry.