Philip Glenn Whalen | |
|---|---|
| Born | (1923-10-20)October 20, 1923 Portland, Oregon, US |
| Died | June 26, 2002(2002-06-26) (aged 78) San Francisco, California, US |
| Education | Reed College |
| Occupation(s) | Poet, Zen monk |
| Years active | 1950-2002 |
| Known for | San Francisco Renaissance |
| Notable work | Scenes of Life at the Capital |
Philip Glenn Whalen (October 20, 1923 – June 26, 2002) was anAmericanpoet and aZen Buddhist monk.
Whalen grew up in a small town,The Dalles, Oregon. He went topublic schools, and he wrote poetry for hishigh schoolmagazine. He wasdrafted into theU.S. Army Air Corps in 1943 but stayed in theUnited States. After the war he went toReed College. Histuition was paid by theG. I. Bill. There he became a friend of poetsLew Welch andGary Snyder.[1] They all met poetWilliam Carlos Williams when he visited in 1950.[2] In 1951 Whalen got aB. A. in general literature.[3]
In the early 1950s, Whalen travelled around theWest Coast.[1] At one point, Snyder helped him to become a fire lookout in theCascade Mountains.[3]
He moved toSan Francisco in 1955. On October 7, 1955, he read poems at theSix Gallery. He read with Snyder,Allen Ginsberg,Philip Lamantia, andMichael McClure. This has been called " birth of theBeat generation."[4] From this time, Whalen's friendship with Ginsberg andJack Kerouac connected him to the Beat movement. The Six Gallery reading also was the start of theSan Francisco poetry renaissance.[3]
In 1973 Whalen became an ordained Zen Buddhist monk. He lived at Zen Centers in San Francisco andSanta Fe, New Mexico.[2][1]
Whalen died in San Francisco in 2002.[5]
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