in 1953 southern and gadiot returned to the us and settled in greenwich village in new york city. as he had in paris, southern quickly became a prominent figure on the artistic scene that flourished in the village in the late 1950s. he met visual artists such as robert frank, annie truxell and larry rivers. through mason hoffenberg, who made occasional visits from paris, he was introduced to leading beat writers including jack kerouac, allen ginsberg and gregory corso.