WRITER

Michael McClure

1932 - 2020

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Michael McClure (October 20, 1932 – May 4, 2020) was an American poet, playwright, songwriter, and novelist. After moving to San Francisco as a young man, he found fame as one of the five poets (including Allen Ginsberg) who read at the famous San Francisco Six Gallery reading in 1955, which was rendered in barely fictionalized terms in Jack Kerouac's The Dharma Bums. Read more on Wikipedia

Since 2007, the English Wikipedia page of Michael McClure has received more than 302,412 page views. His biography is available in 15 different languages on Wikipedia. Michael McClure is the 6,411th most popular writer (down from 5,673rd in 2019), the 11,854th most popular biography from United States (down from 10,232nd in 2019) and the 870th most popular American Writer.

Memorability Metrics

  • 300k

    Page Views (PV)

  • 41.23

    Historical Popularity Index (HPI)

  • 15

    Languages Editions (L)

  • 2.56

    Effective Languages (L*)

  • 2.90

    Coefficient of Variation (CV)

Notable Works

Nevermoon
Fiction, lgbtq+, gay, Fiction, fantasy, general
Of indigo and saffron
Poetry (poetic works by one author)
Ghost Tantras
Poetry, American poetry
Originally self-published in 1964 and long out of print, *Ghost Tantras* is one of McClure's signature works, a book mostly written in "beast language." A mix of lyrical, guttural and laryngeal sound, lion roars, and a touch of detonated dada, this is one of his best-known but least available books—a deep well from which decades of poetry have drawn. McClure's inspiration has always been the animal consciousness that still lives in mankind, and he has had a consistent message: "When a man does not admit that he is an animal, he is less than an animal." Ghost Tantras is his original and singular manifesto for a poetry that relies not on images and pictures, but on muscular, sensual, energetic sound.
Fragments of Perseus
Poetry, Perseus (Greek mythology), Fiction, general
The beard
Scratching the beat surface
Beat generation, Human ecology, Modern Poetry

Among WRITERS

Among writers, Michael McClure ranks 6,411 out of 7,302Before him are Tron Øgrim, Thomas Percy, Joe Hill, Māra Zālīte, Ayi Kwei Armah, and James Branch Cabell. After him are Andrew Sarris, Jáchym Topol, Frances Wright, Michal Šanda, Thomas Hood, and Klas Östergren.

Most Popular Writers in Wikipedia

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Contemporaries

Among people born in 1932, Michael McClure ranks 532Before him are Alberto Dines, Howard Hodgkin, Derog Gioura, Bruno Visintin, Brian Murphy, and Eeva Ruoppa. After him are Edward Egan, Shirley Cawley, Duke Pearson, Udupi Ramachandra Rao, Clyde McPhatter, and Dorothy Ashby. Among people deceased in 2020, Michael McClure ranks 722Before him are Tony Waiters, Kinuko Tanida, Anicetus Bongsu Antonius Sinaga, Alfredo Lim, Imre Farkas, and Bucky Pizzarelli. After him are Luke Harper, Ben Jipcho, James Lipton, Frank Press, Annie Ross, and Rupert Hine.

Others Born in 1932

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Others Deceased in 2020

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In United States

Among people born in United States, Michael McClure ranks 11,854 out of 20,380Before him are Jane Withers (1926), Sue Carol (1906), Hans Reiser (1963), Phoebe Hearst (1842), Normani (1996), and James Branch Cabell (1879). After him are Andrew Sarris (1928), Luke Harper (1979), Roy Z (1963), Judy Sheindlin (1942), Nicki Hunter (1979), and Taylor Holmes (1878).

Among WRITERS In United States

Among writers born in United States, Michael McClure ranks 870Before him are Leslie Feinberg (1949), Jennifer Egan (1962), James Patrick Kelly (1951), Janet Evanovich (1943), Joe Hill (1972), and James Branch Cabell (1879). After him are Andrew Sarris (1928), Tana French (1973), Barbara Kingsolver (1955), Rick Yancey (1962), Jonathan Rosenbaum (1943), and James Lipton (1926).