Allen Ginsberg (June 3, 1926 – April 5, 1997) was an American poet, philosopher and writer. He is considered to be one of the leading figures of both the Beat Generation during the 1950s and the counterculture that soon followed. Ginsberg vigorously opposed militarism, economic materialism and sexual repression; he was also known to embody various aspects of this counterculture, such as his views on drugs, hostility to bureaucracy and openness to Eastern religions. He was one of many influential American writers of his time who were associated with the Beat Generation, including Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs. Ginsberg is best known for his poem "Howl", in which he denounced what he saw as the destructive forces of capitalism and conformity in the United States.
This picture, taken in 1979, shows Ginsberg signing books at the Athenaeum bookstore in Amsterdam. The photograph is in the collection of the Algemeen Nederlandsch Fotobureau (General Dutch Photo Bureau, also known as Anefo), part of the Dutch national archives.
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