All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace (poetry collection)

Last updated
All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace
AllWatchedOver.jpg
First edition
Author Richard Brautigan
Cover artistBill Brock
CountryUnited States
LanguageEnglish
Genre Poetry
Publisher Communication Company
Publication date
1967
Media typePrint (Softcover)
Preceded by The Octopus Frontier  
Followed by Please Plant This Book  

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace is Richard Brautigan's fifth poetry publication. Like several of his early works, the entire edition (of 1,500 copies) was distributed for free. The title poem envisions a world where cybernetics has advanced to a stage where it allows a return to the balance of nature and an elimination of the need for human labor. All thirty-two of the poems in this collection were republished in The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster .

Contents

Copyleft statement

In the original 1967 publication, Brautigan included a copyleft statement which retains copyright but grants permission to reprint any poem in All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace on one condition: [1]

© Copyright 1967 by Richard Brautigan   Permission is granted to reprint any of these poems in magazines, books and newspapers if they are given away free.  

Cultural references

The title was later used by Tucson, Arizona industrial rock band Machines of Loving Grace, formed in 1989, and in its full form by British musician Martin Carr as the title of a 2004 album, by the musician Martha Tilston for the title of her album "Machines Of Love And Grace", as well as a 2011 television series by documentary maker Adam Curtis. [2] Machines of Loving Grace is also the title of a 2015 nonfiction book by John Markoff, documenting robotics transforming society.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Richard Brautigan</span> American writer (1935–1984)

Richard Gary Brautigan was an American novelist, poet, and short story writer. A prolific writer, he wrote throughout his life and published ten novels, two collections of short stories, and four books of poetry. Brautigan's work has been published both in the United States and internationally throughout Europe, Japan, and China. He is best known for his novels Trout Fishing in America (1967), In Watermelon Sugar (1968), and The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966 (1971).

The Diggers were a radical community-action group of activists and street theatre actors operating from 1966 to 1968, based in the Haight-Ashbury neighborhood of San Francisco. Their politics have been categorized as "left-wing;" more accurately, they were "community anarchists" who blended a desire for freedom with a consciousness of the community in which they lived. The Diggers' central tenet was to be "authentic," seeking to create a society free from the dictates of money and capitalism.

The Digger Papers was a free collective publication of the Diggers, one of the 1960s improvisational theatre groups in San Francisco's Haight-Ashbury district. The magazine was first published in Fall 1965. Peter Berg was one of the regular contributors to the publication.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Suzanne (Leonard Cohen song)</span> 1968 single by Leonard Cohen

"Suzanne" is a song written by Canadian poet and musician Leonard Cohen in the 1960s. First published as a poem in 1966, it was recorded as a song by Judy Collins in the same year, and Cohen performed it as his debut single, from his 1967 album Songs of Leonard Cohen. Many other artists have recorded versions, and it has become one of the most covered songs in Cohen's catalogue.

Machines of Loving Grace was an American industrial rock band from Tucson, Arizona, formed in 1989 by vocalist Scott Benzel, keyboardist Mike Fisher, and guitarist Stuart Kupers. The band released three albums in the 1990s, followed by a disbandment in 1999.

Barry Miles is an English author known for his participation in and writing on the subjects of the 1960s London underground and counterculture. He is the author of numerous books and his work has also regularly appeared in leftist newspapers such as The Guardian. In the 1960s, he was co-owner of the Indica Gallery and helped start the independent newspaper International Times.

<i>The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966</i> Novel by Richard Brautigan

The Abortion: An Historical Romance 1966 is a novel by Richard Brautigan first published in 1971 by Simon & Schuster. In subsequent printings the title is often shortened to simply The Abortion.

Nationality words link to articles with information on the nation's poetry or literature.

<i>Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt</i> Book by Richard Brautigan

Rommel Drives on Deep into Egypt is Richard Brautigan's eighth poetry publication and includes 58 poems. The title of the book echoes a 1942 San Francisco Chronicle headline describing a successful operation by Rommel during the North African Campaign of World War II. The six line title poem, reminiscent of Ozymandias, uses this headline to examine the transitory nature of both human endeavor and the reader of the poem. The photograph on the cover of the first edition is of model Beverly Allen and was taken by Edmund Shea in Golden Gate Park, San Francisco.

<i>Please Plant This Book</i> 1968 book by Richard Brautigan

Please Plant This Book is the sixth volume of poetry published by American writer Richard Brautigan. The collection consists of a glued folder containing eight seed packets, with a poem printed on the front of each. The book was Brautigan's last self-publishing venture. The edition had a run of 6,000 free copies. The entire edition was offered for free distribution; permission to reprint the collection was explicitly granted, as long as the new printing was also offered free of charge. Although a relatively large edition for an early Brautigan work, it is now considered a rarity.

<i>The Galilee Hitch-Hiker</i>

The Galilee Hitch-Hiker is Richard Brautigan's second poetry publication. It was first published in 1958 by White Rabbit Press in a hand-sewn edition of 200, and was sold by a variety of means, including City Lights Bookstore and direct sales by Brautigan to those passing by on the street.

In 1966 the book was re-released by The Cranium Press in a run of 700 with an additional 16 signed and numbered copies. Brautigan signed each of the 16 copies in blue pencil and drew a small picture of a fish.
<i>The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster</i> Book by Richard Brautigan

The Pill Versus the Springhill Mine Disaster is Richard Brautigan's seventh poetry publication. A limited, signed, hard cover edition of fifty copies was issued simultaneously with the soft cover version of the first edition.

<i>Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork</i> Book by Richard Brautigan

Loading Mercury with a Pitchfork is Richard Brautigan's ninth poetry publication. Published in 1976, the book includes 127 poems. The four line title poem discusses the effort and interest in undertaking an obviously impossible task, such as loading the liquid metal Mercury using only a pitchfork.

All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace is a BBC television documentary series by filmmaker Adam Curtis. In the series, Curtis argues that computers have failed to liberate humanity, and instead have "distorted and simplified our view of the world around us." The title is taken from a 1967 poem of the same name by Richard Brautigan. The first episode was originally broadcast at 9 pm on 23 May 2011.

"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" is a poem by Richard Brautigan first published in his 1967 collection of the same name, his fifth book of poetry. It presents an enthusiastic description of a technological utopia in which machines improve and protect the lives of humans. The poem has counterculture and hippie themes, influenced by Cold War-era technology. It has been interpreted both as utopian and as an ironic critique of the utopia it describes. It is Brautigan's most frequently reprinted poem.

This is a list of publications by Richard Brautigan (1935-1984), an American writer known for his poetry, novels, and short stories.

<i>June 30th, June 30th</i>

June 30th, June 30th is a poetry collection published in 1978 by American writer Richard Brautigan. It was his eighth book of poetry and the last released in his lifetime. It contains 77 poems that Brautigan wrote in 1976 during his seven-week stay in Japan, presented in a diary-like format. The title is the date he planned to leave the country.

<i>The Octopus Frontier</i> Poetry collection by Richard Brautigan

The Octopus Frontier is a 1960 poetry collection by American writer Richard Brautigan. It is Brautigan's fourth poetry publication and his second collection of poetry, and it includes 22 poems.

<i>Lay the Marble Tea</i>

Lay the Marble Tea is a 1959 poetry collection by American writer Richard Brautigan. It is Brautigan's first collection and third poetry publication.

"All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace" is a 1967 poem by Richard Brautigan.

References

  1. Barber, John F. "Poetry - All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace". Brautigan.net.
  2. Adam Curtis (2011-05-10). "All Watched Over by Machines of Loving Grace". BBC Online.