Philip Lamantia
Philip Lamantia was a significant figure in post-World War II surrealistic poetry, born in 1927 in San Francisco, California. His fascination with surrealism began in his teenage years, inspired by the works of prominent artists like Joan Miró and Salvador Dalí. By fifteen, Lamantia had his poetry published in the literary magazine *View*, but his unconventional approach to education led to his expulsion from high school. He moved to New York City at sixteen, where he engaged with surrealist writers and artists fleeing political oppression, but eventually returned to the West Coast disillusioned.
Lamantia's creative journey included exploring altered states of consciousness and immersing himself in the vibrant jazz culture. He published notable collections such as *Touch of the Marvelous* in 1966 and *The Blood of the Air* in 1970. Throughout the 1970s, he lectured on poetry and maintained a connection to the artistic community. Later in life, Lamantia relocated to Europe, where he continued to write until his death in 2005. His unique contribution as the only American poet of his time to fully embrace surrealism marked him as an important figure in the literary landscape.
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Philip Lamantia
Poet
- Born: October 23, 1927
- Birthplace: San Francisco, California
- Died: March 7, 2005
- Place of death: San Francisco, California
Biography
Philip Lamantia, best known for his post-World War II surrealistic poetry, was born in San Francisco, California, in 1927, the son of Nunzio and Mary (Tarantino) Lamantia. Lamantia became interested in surrealism as a teenager when he attended exhibits by Joan Miro and Salvador Dali; the work of these artists spurred him to read surrealistic literature. When he was fifteen years old, a number of his poems were published in View: A Magazine of the Arts. He was later expelled from high school for his “intellectual delinquency.”
At the age of sixteen, Lamantia dropped out of high school and went to New York City, where he got to know surrealistic writers and artists, many whom were fleeing repressive European regimes. He worked as an assistant editor for a while and had some of his work published in VVV. However, he became disillusioned and disappointed in New York and returned to the West Coast, completing his high school equivalency. He enrolled at the University of California, Berkeley, and joined the university’s antiwar scene. At this time, some of his work was published in Circle, Ark, Freedom, and Horizon. He left Berkeley without graduating from the university, beginning a period he called his “eclipse.” Lamantia became a nomad and explored altered states of consciousness. He traveled to Morocco and France, became involved with jazz culture and night-life, and discovered the Beat writers.
In 1966 he published Touch of the Marvelous, a critically acclaimed collection of his poems. The Blood of the Air, another poetry collection, appeared in 1970. Lamantia lectured on poetry at San Francisco State University and the San Francisco Art Institute in the early 1970’s. He married Nancy Joyce Peters, a writer and editor, in 1978.
Lamantia was the only American poet of his era to delve into the surreal. In his sixties, he moved to Europe, where he continued to write and publish poetry. A number of his poems have been lost, in part because he ritualistically destroyed them as artistic offerings. He continued to write poems and essays through the late twentieth century, publishing sporadically. Lamantia died in San Francisco on March, 7, 2005.