Philip Whalen

Philip Whalen (born October 20, 1923, Portland, Oregon, U.S.—died June 26, 2002, San Francisco, California) was an American poet who emerged from the Beat movement of the mid 20th century, known for his wry and innovative poetry. Whalen served in the U.S. Army from 1943 to 1946 and attended Reed College, Portland (B.A., 1951), before joining the West Coast’s nascent Beat movement. Like other Beats, he was contemptuous of structured, academic writing and was interested...