Article: Trouble man: Amiri Baraka has been under siege recently for his poem "Somebody Blew Up America." But long before the latest firestorm, this literary legend has made controversy a way of life.(includes selected bibliography )

at 69, Amiri Baraka, poet, playwright and political leader, is no stranger to controversy. But his latest excursion into mayhem and media scrutiny has a different tone from his past scuffles. After reading his poem "Somebody Blew Up America" last September 19 at a poetry festival in Stanhope, New Jersey, Baraka endured harsh public reaction, triggering outrage from the conservative press and Jewish organizations such as the Anti-Defamation League. Photos of Baraka--his face contorted with anger and contempt--appeared in articles that were highly critical, calling for the former '60s radical and New Jersey's poet laureate to resign and apologize for "his blatant ...

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