The Beat Generation
Published on 23. May 2012
96 pages
978-1-84243-922-7 (ISBN)
Description
In Search of the Beats:
Were they angel-headed hipsters, dope smoking dropouts or the most exciting group of writers in postwar American literature? Their stories of drugs, sex and the search for an alternative to 'squaresville' have cornered the market in cult literature, remaining hip even while being taught on university courses and in schools. On the Road, Naked Lunch and Howl have become milestones of underground literature and the key Beats (Kerouac, Burroughs and Ginsberg) are mythic figures of contemporary pop culture.
This Pocket Essential provides an introductory essay examining the importance of the writers and their work in American culture. Separate chapters are devoted to the lives and work of Burroughs, Ginsberg and Kerouac. Later chapters discuss the other members of this movement (Neal Cassady, Herbert Huncke and many more), the Beats on film, and their influence on the counterculture of the 60s.
Were they angel-headed hipsters, dope smoking dropouts or the most exciting group of writers in postwar American literature? Their stories of drugs, sex and the search for an alternative to 'squaresville' have cornered the market in cult literature, remaining hip even while being taught on university courses and in schools. On the Road, Naked Lunch and Howl have become milestones of underground literature and the key Beats (Kerouac, Burroughs and Ginsberg) are mythic figures of contemporary pop culture.
This Pocket Essential provides an introductory essay examining the importance of the writers and their work in American culture. Separate chapters are devoted to the lives and work of Burroughs, Ginsberg and Kerouac. Later chapters discuss the other members of this movement (Neal Cassady, Herbert Huncke and many more), the Beats on film, and their influence on the counterculture of the 60s.
Reviews / Votes
These guides are much better than they need to be...and cheap too -- Brian Case * Time Out *More details
Language
English
Place of publication
Harpenden
United Kingdom
Publishing group
Oldcastle Books Ltd
File size
0,60 MB
ISBN-13
978-1-84243-922-7 (9781842439227)
Copyright in bibliographic data and cover images is held by Nielsen Book Services Limited or by the publishers or by their respective licensors: all rights reserved.
Schweitzer Classification
Other editions
Additional editions
Jamie Russell
The Beat Generation
Book
02/2002
Pocket Essentials
€24.94
Article exhausted; check different version
Person
Jamie Russell is a freelance journalist. He writes for Mondo, Hotdog and Popcorn and is the author of Queer Burroughs, a study of William Burroughs.
