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D.A. Levy

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Dalevy

d.a. levy (1942-1968). Courtesy Wikipedia.

d.a. levy (October 29, 1942 - November 24, 1968) was an American poet, artist, and alternative publisher active during the 1960s.

Life[]

Levy was born Darryl Alfred Levy (later changed to Darryl Allan Levy), to Joseph J. and Carolyn Levy on the near West side of Cleveland, Ohio.(Citation needed)

Toward the end of his high school years and later, after a short stint in the U.S. Navy, Levy decided to read everything and write everything, and lose himself in the search for infinity.

He later found a creative outlet in publishing on a small printing press. During this time he also discovered an important spiritual outlet in Buddhism, although Jewish by birth.

He published his own and others' works, printed on his hand press, or in mimeographed editions through his Renegade Press and Seven Flowers Press. His intense awareness of the gritty and burgeoning art scene of Cleveland, which included drugs and sex, and his need to express this scene which he felt a way of attaining enlightenment, meant that he was not welcome in the political environment.

In 1966, he was indicted for distributing obscene poetry to minors. He was arrested again in 1967, and his pressing materials confiscated, prompting a benefit reading on May 14, 1967 on the Case Institute of Technology campus, which featured Allen Ginsberg, Tuli Kupferberg, and the Fugs.

During 1967 and 1968, Levy published Cleveland's 1st underground newspaper, the Buddhist Third-Class Junkmail Oracle. In 1968 he also helped edit and wrote for the single issue of The Marijuana Review (New York).

He died of a self-inflicted gunshot wound to the head on November 24, 1968 at the age of 26. He was cremated, and half his ashes are buried in Whitehaven Memorial Park in Mayfield Heights, Ohio.[1] Some ashes remain in the charge of Cleveland Heights artist George Fitzpatrick, who intends to work them into a calligraphic painting of Levy's words.

There is a conjecture in a book by Mike Golden that Levy was murdered by the Cleveland police or local government because of his anti-establishment writings, but this controversy died down shortly after publication, and is only maintained by those far removed from the poetry community. Those who knew Levy reject the idea of anything but a suicide.(Citation needed) Levy often talked about suicide. Russ Salamon, a friend of Levy and a fellow Cleveland poet, gave Levy large stacks of books, replenishing them when necessary, knowing Levy would finish the texts, and therefore remain a little while longer on this earth. For the last 3 years of his life, Levy was fond of saying he would like to leave the city, the country, and go to "Israel" (is real).

Writing[]

D.a._levy_Cleveland's_Rebel_Poet._An_Interview_With_Ed_Sanders

D.a. levy Cleveland's Rebel Poet. An Interview With Ed Sanders

Levy is best known for The North American Book of the Dead, Cleveland Undercovers, and Suburban Monastery Death Poem. In the last years of the 20th century his Tombstone as a Lonely Charm found a new following.

His earliest poems were almost all in lowercase, and would appear to some to be lacking in focus. In his mimeographs of his writings (which could be considered an early form of zine), the poetry is sometimes misspelled. This could be style, error or perhaps it boils down to mimeo method, as correcting the stencils was laborious.

As Levy got more involved in both Buddhism and Cleveland, his poems got more playful at times, used spelling "mistakes" and syntax "errors" carrying multiple meanings, and other effects, and did not shy away from long lines of capital letters.

An example of levy's work[]

Here is a small sample from The North American Book of the Dead. Note the nouns placed next to each other with no verbs, and contrasting loaded images with the ordinary, the alignment of the text on the surface, and the use of caps.

it disappears when i know i am there
images
    color images
negative images
trucks cars cunts flowers birds
light jade ivory sculpture
places no-places temples thighs
cities casts flashes
roses clouds eye EYE
chaos
NOT THAT NOT THAT

D.a._levy_film_trailer

D.a. levy film trailer

Recognition[]

Levy is the subject of the 2009 documentary film If i scratch if I write, directed by Ken Petronchuk (aka Kon Pet Moon). The DVD of the film is included with the book d.a.levy & the mimeograph revolution book, edited by Larry Smith and Ingrid Swanberg, which contains biographical details, interviews, poems and art by levy, and critical appreciations.[2]

Publications[]

Poetry[]

  • Fragments of a Shattered Mirror. Cleveland, OH: Renegade Press, 1963; Vancouver: Kirpan, 1999.
  • Variations on Flip. Cleveland, OH: Renegade Press, 1963.
  • North American Book of the Dead. Cleveland, OH: 7 Flowers Press, 1966.
  • Cleveland Undercovers (with Jim Lowell). Cleveland, OH: 7 Flowers Press, 1966.
  • Kibbutz in the Sky. Cleveland, OH: 7 Flowers Press, 1967.
  • D.A. Levy: A tribute to the man; an anthology of his poetry (edited by rjs). Cleveland: Ghost Press, 1967; Los Angeles: Russell Salomon, 2007.
  • Tomb Stone as a Lonely Charm: A poem (with D.R. Wagner & Barbara O'Connelly). San Francisco: Runcible Spoon, 1967-1968.
  • Suburban Monastery Death Poem (with Barbara O'Connelly). Cleveland, OH: Zero Editions, 1968.
  • The Beginning of Sunny Dawn and Red lady. San Francisco: Open Skull, 1968.
  • Poem for Beverly. Cleveland, OH: Cold Mountain, 1968.
  • Songs for Dead Children (with Barbara O'Connelly). San Francisco: Black Rabbit Press, 1969.
  • The Madison Poems of D.A. Levy: Including, collages, concrete poems, a bibliography, an essay & the suburban monastery death poem. Madison, WI: Quixote Press, 1969.
  • David Levy: A tribute to the man, an anthology of his poetry (edited by R.J.S.). Cleveland, OH: Ghost Press,[1969?]
  • Red Lady. Vancouver: Blewointmentpress, 1970.

Non-fiction[]

  • Prose: On poetry in the wholesale education & culture system. Milwaukee, WI: Gunrunner Press, [1968?]

Art[]

  • The Madison Collages. Cleveland, OH: Offense Fund, 1975.

Collected editions[]

  • The Buddhist Third Class Junkmail Oracle: Selected poetry & art (edited by Mike Golden). New York: Seven Stories Press, 1999.

Translated[]

  • Zen Concrete: Translations, and a new interpretation of Buddhist doctrines. Vancouver: Blewointment, 1968.
"Suburban_Monastery_Death_Poem"_by_d.a._levy.

"Suburban Monastery Death Poem" by d.a. levy.


Except where noted, bibliographical information courtesy WorldCat.[3]

See also[]

D.A._Levy_poetry,_read_by_Bob_Holman

D.A. Levy poetry, read by Bob Holman

References[]

  • levy et al. ukanhavyrfuckinciti bak collected/edited by rjs, GHOST PRESS CLEVELAND (t.l. kryss) Reprinted 2007 by Salamon, Russ xerox of the original
  • Kaufman, Alan, Griffin, S.A.The Outlaw Bible of American Poetry. New York: Thunder's Mouth Press, 1999.
  • Golden, Mike, ed. The Buddhist Third Class Junkmail Oracle: The Art and Poetry of d.a.levy (with an "investigative essay" by Golden). New York: Seven Stories Press, 1999.

Notes[]

  1. ↑ Vigil, Vicki Blum (2007). Cemeteries of Northeast Ohio: Stones, Symbols & Stories. Cleveland, OH: Gray & Company, Publishers. ISBN 978-1-59851-025-6
  2. ↑ Monseiur K, "if i scratch, if i write: the levy film by kon petrochuk," Outlaw Poetry, June 26, 2009. Web, July 4, 2018.
  3. ↑ Search results = au:D.A. Levy, WorldCat, OCLC Online Computer Library Center Inc. Web, Nov. 9, 2014.

External links[]

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