Bill Morgan has selected many letters written by Allen Ginsberg for this thick new volume. On page 466 Morgan comments, The last letter that Allen wrote was also the only letter he drafted after he learned he had terminal liver cancer. He died at home on April 5, 1997, a few days later.And here is that last letter:
Dear President Clinton,
Enclosed some recent political poems.
I have untreatable liver cancer and have 2-5 months to live. If you have some sort of award or medal for service in art or poetry, please send one along unless it's politically inadvisable or inexpedient. I don't want to bait the right wing for you. Maybe Gingrich might not mind. But don't take chances, please, you've enough on hand. Best wishes and good luck to you and Ms. Hillary and daughter (name). Home office #: lunchtime noon and 6-7 pm supper.
Allen GinsbergNow reader, I ask you, in the stark face of death can you picture yourself using any of your few remaining cogent moments to go fishing for "some sort of award or medal"? Yet who among us could match the lifelong effort Ginsberg put into proclaiming his own transcendent ideals and the spiritual nature of his ambitions?