Beatdom Updates

Thomas Merton, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and the Protection of All Beings

On 1st November 2022, Beatdom Books released Bill Morgan’s Thomas Merton, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and the Protection of All Beings.

Synopsis

Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet and Beat publisher, could hardly seem more different from Thomas Merton, the Trappist monk, yet the two men not only respected one another but were friends and collaborators over a period of a decade until Merton’s untimely death.

In Thomas Merton, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, and the Protection of All Beings, Bill Morgan examines their friendship and shares their correspondence for the first time. He looks into the poetic projects they pursued and details their final meeting, shortly before Merton’s passing, shedding new light on two of the most important writers of the 20th century.

About the Author

Bill Morgan is the author of I Celebrate Myself: The Somewhat Private Life of Allen Ginsberg (2006), The Typewriter Is Holy: The Complete, Uncensored History of the Beat Generation (2010), and numerous other acclaimed books about the Beat Generation.

Reviews

We are all the wiser for the fascinating story of two men, from very different circles

San Francisco Journal

it is their respect and friendship that is most inspiring — and how both were dedicated to using art to help others, to liberate others, and in their own unique and complicated pursuits of holiness

Spirituality and Practice

Well written, well researched and that balance between letters and history was spot on. I can’t recommend this enough.

Jason Denness

Order

The book is available on Amazon as book a physical and Kindle edition, and can be ordered wherever books are sold. Signed copies are available at City Lights.

E-mail editor (at) beatdom [dot] com if you have any problems ordering. That same e-mail address can also be used to request review copies or to make other inquiries about this and other Beatdom Books titles.

David S. Wills

David S. Wills is the founder and editor of Beatdom literary journal and the author of books about William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Hunter S. Thompson. His most recent book is a study of the 6 Gallery reading. He occasionally lectures and can most frequently be found writing on Substack.

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