December 13, 1933 [New York, New York] – August 22, 2021 [San Francisco, California]
[By 1961, Hirschman was teaching English as an assistant professor at UCLA, where among his students was JimMorrison, a film student. “He had just made the first disc ofThe Doors, but my music is experimental jazz. So naturally,I said ‘Who’s Jim Morrison?’” He also began editing an anthology of Antonin Artaud’s work for publication by City Lights. Awarded a UCLA writing grant, he traveled toEurope for the first time, visiting England, France, and Greece. In London he spent time with one of his oldest friends, Asa Benveniste, publisher of YOD, initiating his interest in Kabbalah, an influence that permeates his poetry. While he was in Europe, American involvement inVietnam escalated into hostilities following the Gulf ofTonkin incident. Jack returned to UCLA, and leapt passionately into activism against the war, writing for the Los Angeles Free Press, attending demonstrations, and speaking on local radio. The university fired himfrom his teaching position in 1966, citing his “activities against the state” when they discovered he was giving ‘A’grades to all his students eligible to be drafted, thus helping them avoid conscription. Moving to a small house in Venice, he continued to write, translate, and publish. His correspondence with David Meltzer during his years in Venice provided needed encouragement, particularly as his relationship withRuth was deteriorating. They divorced in 1974. He moved to San Francisco in 1973.]
