San Francisco’s angry poet
August Kleinzahler, the bad boy of American poetry, has a drink at one of his hangouts, the Zam Zam bar in San Francisco’s Haight-Ashbury neighborhood. In literary journals, the 58-year-old New Jersey native takes poets and critics to task for what he perceives as their slights and shoddy work. A few years ago, he even skewered Garrison Keillors radio poetry readings. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Kleinzahler, right, hugs a friend in downtown San Francisco. Kleinzahler considers himself an outsider, compelled to stir up trouble. He has labored largely in obscurity more popular in London than in New York. So what if he’s unpopular? His work speaks for itself. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Kleinzahler rides public transportation in San Francisco. He carries himself like a boxer: sure-footed, as if ready to throw a punch. His poetry readings are often delivered in a low growl, in the streetwise accent he displays like a trophy. Critics have labeled him too much Tony Soprano and too little literary sophisticate. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
Kleinzahler visits City Lights, the famed independent bookstore in San Francisco’s North Beach. He once challenged staff to explain why his books werent displayed in the store’s front window. (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
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SAN FRANCISCO, CA - JUNE 04, 2008: August Kleinzahler , a renowned American poet, poses for a photo on a hillside park near his home in San Francisco. Kleinzahler has written several books of poetry and says he doesn’t like the poetry of Garrison Keillor of “Prairie Home Companion” fame. (Robert Durell/Los Angeles Times) (Robert Durell / Los Angeles Times)
