Allen Ginsberg’s birthday: even China is celebrating!

Today is the late Allen Ginsberg's birthday, and people around the world are commemorating the poet and Buddhist icon with readings of his poetry and other celebrations.

In Shanghai, people celebrated with what's said to be China's first-ever bilingual public reading of Howl, in English and Chinese (the poster at left is from the event.) As Beatdom editor David S. Wills notes, the Chinese don't often see translations of Beat writers' works because of their often controversial subject matter.

For more about Ginsberg from in his own words, click here to read his spiritual autobiography, "The Vomit of a Mad Tyger," from the Shambhala Sun archives.

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