Lawrence Ferlinghetti (b. 1919) Constantly Risking Absurdity, In Goya's Greatest Scenes LINKS Literary Kicks: Ferlinghetti http://www.charm.net/~brooklyn/LitKicks.html This site which is "unaffiliated with any corporation, university or organization" is maintained by a fan of the Beat writers, Levi Ascher, and includes a brief biographical sketch of Ferlinghetti and a list of his works. Also included are links to Ginsberg and other Beat writers. BIOGRAPHY Lawrence Ferlinghetti (b. 1919) Born Lawrence Ferling, this irreverent writer restored his original family name in 1954. He earned a B.A. in journalism from the University of North Carolina in 1941, served as lieutenant commander in the U.S. Naval Reserve during World War II, then received graduate degrees from Columbia and the University of Paris. He worked briefly as a translator of French before rising to prominence in the San Francisco–based "Beat" literary movement of the 1950s, comprised of a group of writers who felt strongly that art should be accessible to all, not just to a small group of intellectuals. Ferlinghetti received great praise from many readers and some critics for his attempts to incorporate American vernacular speech and the rhythms of modern jazz into his writings, while he was roundly attacked by defenders of the status quo. Ferlinghetti has been a prolific writer in all genres. In addition, he cofounded a San Francisco bookstore, City Lights, and two publishing enterprises, City Lights Books and the Pocket Book Series. He has published two novels, many plays, and over two dozen volumes of poetry. His early work, A Coney Island of the Mind (1958), remains his most popular and best-selling poetry collection.