Obituary: Lawrence Ferlinghetti, poet, bookseller and 'philosophical anarchist'
Died: February 22, 2021. LAWRENCE Ferlinghetti, who has died aged 101, was an American literary revolutionary who opened out the world of books to all. As a poet, his work possessed a pared-back directness and Zen simplicity. He wrote for the tongue as much as the page, and delivered his words in energetic sing-song tones that paved the way for spoken-word scenes to come. His 1958 collection, A Coney Island of the Mind, sold more than a million copies. He once said that “art should be accessible to all people, not just a handful of highly-educated intellectuals”. As a bookseller, ...