Gregory Corso facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Gregory Corso
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| Born |
Gregory Nunzio Corso
March 26, 1930 New York City, U.S.
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| Died | January 17, 2001 (aged 70) Minneapolis, Minnesota, U.S.
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| Occupation | Poet, writer |
| Movement | Beat, postmodernism |
Gregory Nunzio Corso (born March 26, 1930 – died January 17, 2001) was an American poet. He was a very important member of the Beat Generation movement. He was the youngest of the main writers in this group. Other famous Beat writers included Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs.
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Who Was Gregory Corso?
Gregory Corso was born Nunzio Corso in New York City. He later chose the name "Gregory" for himself. In his neighborhood, people knew him as "Nunzio." He thought of "Nunzio" as a short form of "Annunziato," which means "announcing angel." This made him feel like a poet, a messenger of words.
His mother, Michelina Corso, came to the United States from Italy when she was nine. She married Sam Corso, and Gregory was born when she was 16. They lived in Greenwich Village, a lively part of New York City.
Gregory's Childhood
When Gregory was very young, his mother left him. His father, Sam Corso, found him and placed him in foster care. Gregory spent the next 11 years living in different foster homes. His father did not visit him very often.
Gregory went to Catholic schools and was a good student. He was also an altar boy. In 1941, his father brought him home. But then his father was drafted into the military and sent overseas.
Gregory was left alone and became homeless. He slept in subways during winter and on rooftops in summer. He still went to Catholic school. People in his neighborhood helped him by giving him food.
Growing Up and Finding Poetry
When Gregory was 13, he got into trouble. He sold a toaster he was supposed to deliver. He used the money to buy new clothes and see a movie. The police arrested him for this. He said he was looking for a miracle to find his mother. Gregory always admired saints and holy people.
Later, when he was 14, he was arrested again for breaking into an office to stay warm during a snowstorm. He was sent to a jail called The Tombs.
Just before his 18th birthday, Gregory was arrested for taking a suit from a tailor shop. Because he had been in trouble before, he was sent to Clinton State Prison. This was a very tough prison in New York.
It was in prison that Gregory Corso started writing poetry. He read many books, including Greek and Roman classics. He also studied encyclopedias and dictionaries. He learned a lot about history and philosophy from a book series called The Story of Civilization.
Becoming a Beat Poet
After prison, Gregory Corso joined the Beat circle in New York City. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg welcomed him. They saw that he had a special way with words. They believed he could express new ideas for their generation.
Corso studied poets like Shelley and Marlowe. He believed poetry could change society. He saw poetry as a way to inspire people and make them think differently. He called Shelley a "Revolutionary of Spirit." He felt that he and Ginsberg were also "Revolutionaries of Spirit."
Life in Cambridge, Massachusetts
In 1954, Corso moved to Cambridge, Massachusetts. He spent a lot of time at Harvard University's Widener Library. He read many great poems there. He also attended classes on Greek and Roman classics. He even thought about becoming a classics scholar.
Corso did not have much money. Some Harvard students helped him. They let him sleep on their dorm room floor. He would dress up for dinner so no one would notice him. The dean of Harvard, Archibald MacLeish, met with Corso. Instead of expelling him, MacLeish allowed Corso to stay as a "poet in residence."
Corso's first published poems appeared in the Harvard Advocate in 1954. His play, In This Hung-up Age, was performed the next year.
Students helped pay for Corso's first book of poems, The Vestal Lady on Brattle, and Other Poems. These poems showed his unique style. He used jazz rhythms and everyday spoken English. He believed that the rhythm of a poem should come naturally from the poet's voice.
San Francisco and the "Howl" Reading
Corso and Ginsberg decided to go to San Francisco. They had heard about a group of new poets there. These poets included Gary Snyder and Lawrence Ferlinghetti.
A famous event called the Six Gallery reading took place on October 7, 1955. Many poets read their work that night. Allen Ginsberg read the first part of his famous poem, "Howl." Gregory Corso arrived late and missed this historic reading.
The Six Gallery reading was a big success. It marked the start of the West Coast Beat movement. When "Howl" was published in 1956, it became famous across the country.
After San Francisco, Ginsberg and Corso traveled together. They visited writer Henry Miller. They also gave a reading in Los Angeles.
The Beat Hotel in Paris
In 1957, Gregory Corso went to Europe. He met up with Allen Ginsberg, Peter Orlovsky, and William S. Burroughs in Tangiers. In Paris, Corso showed them a lodging house. He called it the Beat Hotel. It became a home for many young writers and artists.
At the Beat Hotel, Ginsberg started his long poem Kaddish. Corso wrote his poems Bomb and Marriage there. A photographer named Harold Chapman took many pictures of the artists living in the hotel.
While in Paris, Corso published several books. These included The Happy Birthday of Death (poetry) and The American Express (a novel). His work was published by New Directions Publishing, a very respected publisher of poetry. Corso also traveled to Rome and Greece. He returned to New York in 1958. He was surprised that he and his friends had become famous writers.
Back in New York – The "Beatniks"
When Corso returned to New York, he found that the Beat movement had grown. A newspaper writer called the Beat writers "Beat-niks." This name combined "beat" with "Sputnik," a Russian satellite. It suggested that the Beat writers were "out there" and different.
Corso, Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Burroughs had their work published in important magazines.
In the early 1960s, Gregory Corso married Sally November. They had a daughter named Miranda Corso. Gregory stayed in touch with his daughter throughout his life.
Corso lived in Rome for many years. He also taught in Greece and traveled widely. He wrote a collection of letters called Dear Fathers. In these letters, he shared his thoughts on changes needed in the Catholic Church.
In 1969, Corso published Elegiac Feelings American. The main poem in this book was dedicated to Jack Kerouac, who had recently passed away. Some critics think this is Corso's best poem.
Gregory Corso's Poetry
Gregory Corso's first book of poems, The Vestal Lady on Brattle, was published in 1955. Students at Harvard helped him publish it. Corso was the second member of the Beat group to have a book published. His poems first appeared in the Harvard Advocate.
In 1958, a larger collection of his poems was published. It was called Gasoline & The Vestal Lady on Brattle. Some of his most famous poems include "Bomb," "Elegiac Feelings American," "Marriage," and "The Whole Mess... Almost."
Films Featuring Gregory Corso
Gregory Corso appeared in several films:
- Pull My Daisy (1959)
- Me and My Brother (1969)
- What Happened to Kerouac? (1986)
- The Godfather Part III (1990) – He played an "Unruly Stockholder."
- What About Me (1993) – He played a "Hotel Desk Clerk." This was his last film role.
- Corso: The Last Beat (2009)
See also
In Spanish: Gregory Corso para niños
