Tau & Journey to the End
Two long-lost volumes from the classic Beat period. Tau is Philip Lamantia’s mystical second collection of poems, originally slated for publication in 1955, but suppressed by the poet due to his evolving religious beliefs. Journey to the End contains the poems of the legendary John Hoffman (1928–1952), whose poems were read by Lamantia in 1955 at the 6 Gallery reading where Allen Ginsberg debuted “Howl.”
Lamantia’s closest friend, a character in Jack Kerouac’s Dharma Bums, and the inspiration for two lines of “Howl,” Hoffman moved between San Francisco and New York before his death in Mexico at the age of twenty-four. This volume includes biographical notes and Lamantia’s commentaries on Hoff man’s poetry.
Philip Lamantia (1927-2005) became a nationally-known poet at 15, published by surrealist magazines View and VVV. He became a major twentieth century poet, precursor to and fellow traveler with the Beat Generation. Reflecting his esoteric mysticism and use of consciousness-expanding drugs, Lamantia's poetry is considered the primary link between the European avant-garde and American counterculture. John Hoffman (1928-1952) is a legendary member of the original Beat Generation poets. Dying of unknown causes on a trip to Mexico, he remained unpublished during his lifetime. In 1955, Philip Lamantia read Hoffman's poetry at the 6 Gallery reading where Ginsberg debuted "Howl." This is the first appearance of Hoffman's poetry in any widely-available form.
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