I guess that everyone's family relationships are unique to that group. My family politics would seem curious, if presented to the general public, as much as this selection of correspondence between Allen and Louis Ginsberg, do to me.

Having made the above admission early, I still feel that the odd dynamic of the Ginsberg family is worthy of comment. His mother, Naomi, was a lady of strong opinions, which seem to have been diametrically opposed to those held by the Ginsbergs. Her position was not helped by mental health issues which took her out of Allen's life from an early age.

Dad, Louis, had asperations to be a poet and it is entirely possible that he initially encouraged his son to follow in his footsteps. The beat generation, however, saw a schism grow between the work of Allen and his dad. There is a clash of antlers between the two and it is unclear as to whether Louis ever accepted that Allen was the more successful poet.

The letters are far from complete and it is often frustrating to be missing either the response, or the instigator of a missive but, the letters are still an insight into the background of Allen Ginsberg's writing. The fact that they were written without any thought that they would ever be published, makes them more open and honest than anyone could be otherwise. ( )

Both father and son, Louis and Allen Ginsberg, were poets in their own right, but Allen's fame would soon eclipse that of his father. Therefore, the selected letters collected in this edition are more than a personal record of family affairs. They are a correspondence between two poets, with Louis often commenting on and giving Allen advice on how to write poetry. Louis is the role as a mentor comes about quite naturally, firstly, of course a the father, and also as the more mature, more experienced poet of the two of them. Besides, Louis was a lecturer, and in that role it would be natural for him to guide Allen in his development as a poet.

However, it does not become apparent to what extent Allen heeded his parent's advice, for example, telling him not to use foul language in his poetry. A close study of the poetry, or other biographical sources might reveal whether Allen Ginsberg heeded that advice, or not.

Family Business: Selected Letters between a Father and a Son spans the correspondence between Louis and Allen Ginsberg betweem 1944 and 1976. Thus, the reader will get a very comprehensive overview of the personal development, both as a poet and the private life of Allen Ginsberg.

The letters describe intimate, personal details about Allen's coming out and his sexual orientation. In the letters to his father, Allen seems reticent to write about his exploits with the other writers of the Beat Generation, such as Burroughs and Kerouac, or his contacts with Neal Cassidy. The letters are mostly about Allen's output as a poet, and less about his experiments with prose.

Mention is made in the letters of the genesis and success of all major poems, such as Howl and Kaddish. The letters could also be very well read as an introduction into the reading of Ginsberg's poetry, as I have started reading the Collected Poetry of Allen Ginsberg alongside.

There are some gaps, where letters are missing, but this does not diminish the overall value of the collection. The letters are also of great value to understand the Beat Generation, particularly from the political and social point of view. In vehement discussions with his father, Allen Ginsberg describes his political views of the day, his ideas about Communism and the anti-war stance.

The letters in this collection show how Allen blooms: his development as a poor poet and his subsequent entry into the world, earning more and more money as his fame unfolded and spread. The letters reveal his personal development as he travelled around the world

Reading collections of letters is not the most common type of reading activities, and might be considered relevant only to academics. However, in the case of Family Business, I would surely suggest anyone with an interest in the poetry and person of Allen Ginsberg to have a look at this book. The book is rather bulky and voluminous, well-edited and annotated, and a pleasure to hold, when reading. ( )

Touching and inspirational correspondence between Allen Ginsberg and his father. ( )

Includes letters from the 40s and 50s between Allen and Louis Ginsberg. Indexed, see under both 'Howl' and 'Howl and Other Poems.'