Orwell 1984: Four Calligraphic Autograph Manuscripts

Four original calligraphic manuscripts of Haiku or "American Sentences" from the poet's 1983 Orwell Series, each signed in full "Allen Ginsberg," three dated 8/18/83 and two with the location "N.Y.C." all in the hand of the poet. Each measuring 9.5 x 10.75 inches (24 x 27 cm) on rigid board with gold foil border and verso with silver decorative flecks.  In fine condition. As follows:

"Orwell
"1984 now - 
Red tanks in Prague, 
Our tanks in San 
           Salvador."

"'1984'"
Coke machines serve
you Caffein [sic] in Kyoto,
Zenmasters whack
your shoulders
in New York."

"1984 now —
Tanks in
Afghanistan &
El Salvador."

"1984 now —
Red tanks in Prague, 
our tanks in
San Salvador."

A veteran practitioner of the haiku, Japan's 17-syllable lyric poem form rooted in Zen awareness of particulars, Ginsberg often modified the form, speaking of how divvying them up in five-seven-five syllable lines makes the whole thing an exercise in counting, not feeling, and too arbitrary to be poetry. Ginsberg’s solutions are the types of so-called "American Sentences" seen here: One sentence, 17 syllables. Prepared for a broadside print which reproduced them in facsimile as part of a series of 12 haiku in 4 columns of 3 haiku per column, these originals works are described in the entry for Broadside AA32B in Bill Morgan's "The Works of Allen Ginsberg, 1941-1994: A Descriptive Bibliography" but are otherwise apparently unpublished. The circumstances of these manuscripts having been penned in New York in August, 1983 are unknown, but the sheets evidently relate to Ginsberg's work that year with Nam June Paik, with whom he collaborated on the lithograph Orwell, oh well. It's only 1983,  and in whose international satellite "installation" Good Morning, Mr. Orwell, he appeared. 

On January 1, 1984, video-pioneer Nam June Paik conceived of  and presented “Good Morning Mr Orwell”, a unique and unprecedented  international live satellite hook-up, linking up the studios of WNET, New York with the Pompidou Center in Paris (as well as hooking up with broadcasters in Germany and in his own home country, South Korea). Ginsberg and Peter Orlovsky (along with Steven Taylor and Arthur Russell) were an integral part of the program, which also featured contributions from John Cage, Merce Cunningham, Joseph Beuys, Philip Glass, Laurie Anderson, Peter Gabriel, Charlotte Moorman, The Thompson Twins and Oingo Bongo. George Plimpton appeared as master of ceremonies.
Among other contributions, Orlovsky can be seen performing a hearty version of “Feeding Them Raspberries To Grow” enthusiastically on banjo with Ginsberg gleefully singing along, and Ginsberg's memorable performance of "Do The Meditation" is one for the ages.  (22374)

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