Gasoline

By: Gregory Corso

Narrated by: Dean Sluyter

Gregory Corso exploded onto the Beat scene in the mid-1950s when the names Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs were changing the course of American literature.

Corso added a street appeal to Beat poetry that may have been lacking in the works of others who had more elitist backgrounds. Corso had been a real live juvenile delinquent, in and out of reform schools and written off by society as a wayward youth. But while in prison he learned to read - and he read deeply and began to produce his own poetry, showing a rare perception and facility with words.

Gasoline was Corso's first major work, originally published in 1958 by City Lights Books, the essential publisher for the Beat Generation. Corso carved a place for himself among the Beats, achieving a fame in poetry arguably second only to Allen Ginsberg. In Gasoline lsteners will see the emergence of a major new poet, a talent with an unbridled lust for life and a desire to put his unique stamp on all that he saw in the world around him.

©1958 Gregory Corso (P)2019 The Devault-Graves Agency

Fine reading of Gregory Corso’s “Gasoline”

As a fan of Beat poetry who saw Corso do a reading once in the 1990’s at New College in San Francisco I was 100% satisfied with this performance on the Audible book. Ode to Coit Tower is like a miles long unfolding post card from 50’s Beat San Francisco that nobody else could have written. The shorter poems are hilarious, touching, tough and tender with what Corso called his “delcato touch.” I loved the merry chase after Corso’s lines and images that the narrator led me on more than when I first read the book.

Great Experience

I really enjoyed hearing this come to life. I thought the performance was very well executed both in meter, pace and communicated a passionate connection to the material. Thank you.

Excellent reading of Corso's best poems.

Gregory Corso's poetry is done justice by this excellent reading by Dean Sluyter. I look forward to more of this great poets work to be done by this label. Bravo!