Lawrence Ferlinghetti, A Coney Island of the Mind

Gina Wisker (University of Brighton)
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Ferlinghetti's second book,

A Coney Island Of The Mind

was published in 1958. The collection contains “In Goya's Greatest Scenes” which has held a special place in the hearts and minds of a new reading generation:

In Goya's greatest scenes we seem to see the people of the world exactly as the moment when they first attained the title of 'suffering humanity'

In Goya's greatest scenes we seem to see the people of the world exactly as the moment when they first attained the title of 'suffering humanity'

The poem opens with these lines and then sets off to explore the characteristics of suffering humanity caught by the “imagination of disaster”: “they are so bloody real/it is as if they really still existed”. The poem then shifts directly to the contemporary world

1209 words

Citation: Wisker, Gina. "A Coney Island of the Mind". The Literary Encyclopedia. First published 21 March 2002 [https://www.litencyc.com/php/sworks.php?rec=true&UID=7233, accessed 19 March 2024.]

7233 A Coney Island of the Mind 3 Historical context notes are intended to give basic and preliminary information on a topic. In some cases they will be expanded into longer entries as the Literary Encyclopedia evolves.

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