---
product_id: 16783008
title: "City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara"
brand: "brad gooch"
price: "€ 25.66"
currency: EUR
in_stock: true
reviews_count: 7
url: https://www.desertcart.ie/products/16783008-city-poet-the-life-and-times-of-frank-ohara
store_origin: IE
region: Ireland
---

# City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara

**Brand:** brad gooch
**Price:** € 25.66
**Availability:** ✅ In Stock

## Quick Answers

- **What is this?** City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara by brad gooch
- **How much does it cost?** € 25.66 with free shipping
- **Is it available?** Yes, in stock and ready to ship
- **Where can I buy it?** [www.desertcart.ie](https://www.desertcart.ie/products/16783008-city-poet-the-life-and-times-of-frank-ohara)

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- brad gooch enthusiasts

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## Description

City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara

## Images

![City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara - Image 1](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/51+B0g+E5VL.jpg)
![City Poet: The Life and Times of Frank O'Hara - Image 2](https://m.media-amazon.com/images/I/517Zs8cSCuL.jpg)
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## Customer Reviews

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A  Poet Whose Spontaneity Matches the Abstract Expressionism of his Era
  

*by F***A on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on May 16, 2015*

Frank O'Hara lived a heroic moment in the sun.  I first became interested in him during a seminar taught by Bill Berkson at the San Francisco Art Institute.  Berkson had home movies showing him with a shirtless Al Leslie; his antic movement and brilliance clearly drew the admiration of the Cedar Tavern artists, many of them bruisers who might have shunned an effeminate extrovert.  Brad Gooch has written a comprehensive biography that places him in the French literary tradition, like Baudelaire, whose art criticism defined Romanticism.  To understand the extraordinary position that he occupied as poet and curator, one has only to know that he was the last curator at MOMA who lacked advanced degrees in Museum Studies.  He was an original, worthy of Gooch's generous and comprehensive research into O'Hara's circle.  Edward Gorey aroused his interest in Balanchine, Kenneth Koch in poetry, and he lived among two generations of New York School painters.  The anecdote about de Kooning kissing him on the lips shows O'Hara's power as a man, proudly living as a homosexual in the McCarthy era.  Gooch covers his wide friendships, guides the reader to the poetry and then lets it stand on its own.Phrases like "neon in sunlight" capture the magic of New York in all its tawdry splendor.  His early death is faced squarely: what unconscious forces led him to stand in the oncoming lights of the buggy on the beach?  Increasing alcoholism is not the only explanation.  Gooch describes an American hero like James Dean or Marilyn whose early death became part of his legend.  Beautifully written throughout, never sentimental, but always worthy of his evanescent poetry.

### ⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    Not as bad as some would make out
  

*by K***R on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on August 16, 2004*

This happens to be one of those heavy biographies that for better or worse include everything the author ever found out about his subject, much of which isn't worth recording. Biographers should learn that just because something's a fact doesn't make it interesting.  Having said that, this book isn't without its virtues.  I found the passages dealing with his interaction with artists and co-workers informative.  It was very interesting to discover that O'Hara's college roommate was Edward Gorey - what an odd couple.  Also, the details of O'Hara serving as Cecil Beaton's secretary were enjoyable.  I did learn some things about O'Hara's sexual adventures that made me cringe (having lived through the plague years my view is compromised).  Mr. Gooch has written a book full of facts and trivia - it's certainly a worthwhile chronicle of O'Hara's life.  If you're looking for a more intimate portrait I recommend "Digression On Some Poems By Frank O'Hara," for a more academic look at his work look for "Poet Among Painters."

### ⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ 







  
  
    A good read!
  

*by J***D on Reviewed in the United States 🇺🇸 on September 5, 2016*

Everything (and perhaps more) that you want to know about O'Hara and the people he knew in Manhattan— in the art world and the poetry world.Fascinating!

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*Product available on Desertcart Ireland*
*Store origin: IE*
*Last updated: 2026-03-18*