On October 3, 1957, a California state superior judge ruled that Allen Ginsberg's poem "Howl" had "redeeming social importance" and was therefore not subject to censorship on the grounds of obscenity.
Ginsberg's lengthy poem, a landmark of the beat movement, caused a stir with its references to sex and drugs, and particularly with one explicit reference to homosexuality. In San Francisco, the publisher and a bookstore owner were arrested in separate incidents and charged with distributing obscene material by selling Ginsberg's "Howl and Other Poems."
The trial drew considerable media attention, as the prosecution lined up witnesses to describe "Howl" as filth and the defense brought out a succession of literary experts to testify on behalf of its merit. At the end of the day, literature won.
Click here to watch a trailer for "Howl," the 2010 movie about the trial.
Click here to read "Howl" and judge its cultural merits for yourself.
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