Manishevitz and Sake, the Kaddish and Sutras: Allen Ginsberg's Spiritual Self-Othering

• DOI: 10.1353/lit.2010.0004
• Publication Date: 2010-10-31T13:00:56Z
• Authors: Craig Svonkin
• Keywords: Ambivalence

This essay explores Allen Ginsberg's conflicted relationship to his given Jewishness. Ginsberg dealt with ambivalence "endowed" identity through "transpiritualism," the adoption of marginalized spiritual identities as own. transpiritualism was quite complex, however, for he did not simply slough off an endowed Jewish appropriated or acquired Buddhist identity. Rather, crafted a spiritually hybridized and thus escaped "given" experienced limiting claustrophobic. Exploring psychological, cultural, historical, aesthetic causes transpiritual self-othering, I attempt contextualize work in culture 1950s America.