Carl Solomon
Carl Solomon was an influential figure in the mid-20th century American literary and political scene, born in New York in the late 1920s to patriotic, second-generation American parents. He showed an early affinity for diverse interests, but the death of his father at age eleven significantly impacted his academic pursuits and led him to embrace liberal politics. After graduating high school at fifteen, Solomon attended the City College of New York, where he became involved with the American Youth for Democracy and subsequently joined the U.S. Maritime Service during World War II, earning two medals for his service.
Following the war, he connected with the French Communist Party and the existentialist movement before returning to New York, where he met poet Allen Ginsberg while receiving psychiatric treatment. Their friendship profoundly influenced Ginsberg's work, notably the iconic poem "Howl." Solomon struggled with mental health issues throughout his life, facing multiple hospitalizations and breakdowns. Despite these challenges, he published two collections of mixed writings, "Mishaps, Perhaps" and "More Mishaps," and later an autobiography titled "Emergency Messages: An Autobiographical Miscellany." Solomon's life and experiences reflect the complexities of mental health, creativity, and the vibrant counterculture of his time.
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Subject Terms
Carl Solomon
Nonfiction Writer
- Born: March 30, 1928
- Birthplace: New York, New York
- Died: February 26, 1993
Biography
Carl Solomon was born in the late 1920’s in New York. His parents were second-generation Americans who were not only in touch with their ethnic roots, but also very patriotic. Solomon’s parents encouraged their son in disparate interests, ranging from literature to baseball to fishing. Sadly, Solomon’s father died when the boy was eleven, which had a profound effect on his development. Solomon lost interest in academics and began to identify with liberal politics. Despite his sinking grades, Solomon was admitted to the Townsend Harris High School for the gifted, which was closed soon after he began attending. Solomon then enrolled at James Monroe High School, where he began learning French.
On weekends and school breaks, Solomon worked variously as a shipping clerk in the garment district, bundling newspapers for the Sunday New York Times, and as a farmhand in Smyrna, New York. Solomon graduated high school at age fifteen and began attending the City College of New York, where he majored in social science. While studying there, he joined the American Youth for Democracy, which was aligned with the American Communist Party. At age seventeen, Solomon joined the U.S. Maritime Service and was later awarded two medals for his service during World War II.
In 1947, Solomon left his crewmen in France, where he joined the French Communist Party and became involved in the existentialist movement. Solomon eventually returned to New York City and enrolled at Brooklyn College. At Brooklyn College, Solomon became acquainted with anarchists, existentialists, and other avant-garde individuals and engaged in intellectual experiments. Solomon’s intense activity led him to believe he was mentally ill, so at the age of twenty-one he checked himself into the New York State Psychiatric Institute and asked to be electrocuted and lobotomized.
Solomon met poet Allen Ginsberg while he was receiving shock treatments, and the two struck up an immediate friendship and began writing together. Ginsberg based later poems, including Howl, on transcribed conversations with Solomon. After nine months of treatment, Solomon was released from the hospital and moved into an apartment with Ginsberg. Soon another roommate joined the pair, a woman named Olive Blake, whom Solomon married in 1950. The marriage was over within two years. Solomon then began working for his uncle, who was a publisher, where he labored to see the works of his friends William S. Burroughs, Allen Ginsberg, and Jack Kerouac published.
Around 1956, Solomon experienced another mental breakdown and was admitted to Pilgrim State Hospital, which was known as a dangerous institution full of criminals. After his release, Solomon released the book Mishaps, Perhaps, which was followed two years later by More Mishaps. Both books were a hodgepodge of poetry, prose, jokes, essays, and fiction. After sales of his work fell off, Solomon worked as a sales clerk and messenger, and wrote a number of articles and book reviews for various publications. Solomon did not publish another book until 1989, when he released his autobiography Emergency Messages: An Autobiographical Miscellany.