Regular Daily Beat readers know that acclaimed poet and environmentalist Gary Snyder was immortalized in Jack Kerouac's best novel*, The Dharma Bums, as Japhy Ryder (he also appears once as Gary, an editing error). He appeared as Jarry Wagner in Desolation Angels and Big Sur, and as himself in Vanity of Duluoz.
Snyder turns 91 today! He is the only reader left alive from the famous 1955 Six Gallery poetry reading, and he's also one of a small number of close friends of Kerouac who are still around.
Click HERE for a brief bio and some of his poetry.
Happy Birthday, Mr. Snyder. And many more....
*Regular readers likewise know that I am just trolling them by calling The Dharma Bums Jack's best novel. It is, indeed, my favorite, but I would hesitate to argue that it's his best work.
3 comments:
I love knowing that it's Gary Snyder's birthday. Thank you so much for reminding me. Just the other day I sent the poem "For The Children" to my twin brother.
...stay together
...learn the flowers
...go light
So much in 3 lines.
Yes, those last three lines of the poem have stayed with me for the past 45 years.
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