People, Locations, Episodes

Bob Kaufman, Poet born

Bob Kaufman

Bob Kaufman was born on this date in 1925. He was a Black poet.

He was born Robert Garnell Kaufman in New Orleans, LA. He has been described as an "innovative poet" and an important writer who gained prominence during the “Beat period.” As a youth, Kaufman had the opportunity to gain exposure to various religions.  His father was German-Jewish, his mother was Roman Catholic, and his grandmother was a voodoo practitioner. Eventually, Kaufman became interested in eastern religions and became a Buddhist.

In 1958, Kaufman moved to San Francisco and quickly became acclimated to the lifestyle led by many prominent writers and artists during the Beat period. Much of his writing became "surreal" and was often inspired by jazz music. He published Crowded with Loneliness and founded a magazine called Beatitude in 1965. Kaufman was most popular among European readers during the 1960s and published his second collection, Golden Sardine, in 1967.  After witnessing the assassination of John F. Kennedy, Kaufman was compelled to take a vow of silence, which it is said was unbroken until the end of the Veit Nam War.

His writing became political again, and he produced a collection that included early works called The Ancient Rain: Poems, 1956-78 1981. It is said that in 1978 Kaufman resumed his silence and seldom broke the sacred vow until his death on January 12, 1986, in San Francisco, CA.

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