Peter Orlovsky

Peter Orlovsky born 8 July 1933 (d. 2010)

Peter Orlovsky was an American poet best known for being the lover of Beat Generation poet Allen Ginsberg.

A high school drop-out, he served as a stateside medic in the US Army during the Korean War. He met Ginsberg through the painter Robert La Vigne in San Francisco in December 1954. Orlovsky served as Ginsberg's secretary, travelled the world with him, and was his lover in an open relationship for four decades. Prior to meeting Ginsberg, Orlovsky had made no deliberate attempts at becoming a poet. With Ginsberg's encouragement, Orlovsky began writing in 1957 while the pair were living in Paris.

Orlovsky's publications include the poetry collection Clean Asshole Poems & Smiling Vegetable Songs.

In May 2010, friends reported that Orlovsky, who had been battling lung cancer for several months, was moved from his home in St. Johnsbury, Vermont to the Vermont Respite House in Williston. He died there on May 30, 2010.