Kill Your Darlings

For dutiful son Allen Ginsberg, Columbia University is Mecca—a portal to art, intellect, culture, and freedom. At Columbia, Allen finds tradition clashing with daringly modern ideas—embodied by Lucien Carr. Lucien is an object of fascination for Allen, and soon he is drawn into Lucien’s circle of friends, including David, an older hanger-on who clearly resents Allen’s position as Lucien’s new sidekick. Devastating—and deadly. David angrily confronts Lucien, and the next morning, David’s stabbed body has been found in the Hudson River. Lucien’s in jail, held for David’s murder. And Allen—writing his deposition statement—is struggling to piece together what transpired. As Allen peels away Lucien’s story of self-defense, he faces a stark choice: to betray himself and lie to the district attorney or to write the truth—and condemn his friend. A true story of friendship, love and murder, KYD recounts the pivotal year that changed Allen Ginsberg's life forever and provided his creative spark.