Beat-Generation

ALLENGINSBERGJACKKEROUACBeatGenerationBEATGENERATIONTheBeatGenerationreferstoagroupofAmericanpost-WWIIwriterswhocametoprominenceinthe1950s,aswellastheculturalphenomenathattheybothdocumentedandinspired.CentralelementsofBeatcultureincludedexperimentationwithdrugs,alternativeformsofsexuality,aninterestinEasternreligion,arejectionofmaterialism,andtheidealizingofexuberant,unexpurgatedmeansofexpressionandbeing.AllenGinsberg'sHowl(1956)andJackKerouac'sOntheRoad(1957)areamongthebestknownexamplesofBeatliterature.HowlwasthefocusofobscenitytrialsthatultimatelyhelpedtoliberalizepublishingintheUnitedStates.ThemembersoftheBeatGenerationdevelopedareputationasnewbohemianhedonists,whocelebratednon-conformityandspontaneouscreativity.TheoriginalBeatGenerationwritersmetinNewYork.Later,thecentralfigures(withtheexceptionofBurroughs)endeduptogetherinSanFranciscointhemid-1950swheretheymetandbecamefriendswithfiguresassociatedwiththeSanFranciscoRenaissance.Inthe1960s,elementsoftheexpandingBeatmovementwereincorporatedintotheHippiecounterculture.Hip→Hipster→HippieOriginofnameJackKerouacintroducedthephraseBeatGenerationin1948tocharacterizeaperceivedunderground,anti-conformistyouthmovementinNewYork.ThenamearoseinaconversationwithwriterJohnClellonHolmes.Theadjectivebeatcouldcolloquiallymeantiredorbeatendown,butKerouacexpandedthemeaningtoincludetheconnotationsupbeat,beatific,andthemusicalassociationofbeingonthebeat.MajorWritersJackKerouacAllenGinsbergWilliamS.BurroughsNealCassadyLawrenceFerlinghettiGarySynderJackKerouac(1922-1969)PoetandNovelistOntheRoad《在路上》杰克·凯鲁亚克AllenGinsberg(1926-1997)poetoneoftheleadingfiguresofBGHowl《嚎叫》艾伦·金斯堡W.S.Burroughs(1914-1997)poetandnovelistNakedLunchGarySynder(1930-)TheLastBeatKeywordsHomosexuality(freedomofsex)Drugs,MarijuanaPoliticallyleft,evencommunistsAnti-war,anti-capitalismFreeuseofwords(vulgar,colloquial)BuddhistbeliefInfluencedbyeasternculture(China,Japan)BeatniksThetermBeatnikwascoinedbyHerbCaenoftheSanFranciscoChronicleon2April1958,aportmanteauonthenameoftherecentRussiansatelliteSputnikandBeatGeneration.Thissuggestedthatbeatnikswere(1)faroutofthemainstreamofsocietyand(2)possiblypro-Communist.HippiesDuringthe1950s,aspectsoftheBeatmovementmetamorphosedintoTheSixtiesCounterculture,accompaniedbyashiftinterminologyfrombeatniktohippie.ManyoftheoriginalBeatsremainedactiveparticipants,notablyAllenGinsberg,whobecameafixtureoftheanti-warmovement.Notably,however,JackKerouacbrokewithGinsbergandcriticizedthe60sprotestmovementsasanexcusetobespitefulRockandpopmusicTheBeatshadapervasiveinfluenceonrockandrollandpopularmusic,includingtheBeatles,BobDylanandJimMorrison:theBeatlesspelledtheirnamewithanapartlyasaBeatGenerationreference,andLennonwasafanofJackKerouac.GinsberglatermetandbecamefriendswithmembersoftheBeatles.PaulMcCartneyplayedguitaronGinsberg'salbumBalladoftheSkeletons.GinsbergwasclosefriendswithBobDylanandtouredwithhimontheRollingThunderRevuein1975.DylancitesGinsbergandKerouacasmajorinfluences.Therewasaresurgenceofinterestinthebeatsamongbandsinthe1980s.GinsbergworkedwiththeClash.BurroughsworkedwithSonicYouth,R.E.M.,KurtCobain,andMinistry,amongstothers.BonoofU2citesBurroughsasamajorinfluence,andBurroughsappearedbrieflyinaU2videoin1997.AllenGinsberg(1926-1997)1926–bornintoaJewishfamilyinNewark,NewJersey,andgrewupinnearbyPaterson.Asayoungteenager,GinsbergbegantowriteletterstoTheNewYorkTimesaboutpoliticalissues,suchasWorldWarIIandworkers'rights.1943–GinsberggraduatedfromEastsideHighSchoolandbrieflyattendedMontclairStateCollegebeforeenteringColumbiaUniversityonascholarshipfromtheYoungMen'sHebrewAssociationofPaterson.WhileatColumbia,GinsbergcontributedtotheColumbiaReviewliteraryjournal,theJesterhumormagazine,wontheWoodberryPoetryPrizeandservedaspresidentofthePhilolexianSociety,thecampusliteraryanddebategroup.1956–hismotherNaomidied.Thekeyisinthewindow,thekeyisinthesunlightatthewindow–Ihavethekey–GetmarriedAllendon'ttakedrugs–thekeyisinthebars,inthesunlightinthewindow.--KaddishInGinsberg'sfreshmanyearatColumbiahemetfellowundergraduateLucienCarr,whointroducedhimtoanumberoffutureBeatwriters,includingJackKerouac,WilliamS.Burroughs,andJohnClellonHolmes.In1954,inSanFrancisco,GinsbergmetPeterOrlovsky(1933–2010),withwhomhefellinloveandwhoremainedhislife-longpartner.InOct.1955–Reading“Howl”In1957,HowlattractedwidespreadpublicitywhenitbecamethesubjectofanobscenitytrialinwhichaSanFranciscoprosecutorargueditcontainedfilthy,vulgar,obscene,anddisgustinglanguage.In1957,GinsbergsurprisedtheliteraryworldbyabandoningSanFrancisco.AfteraspellinMorocco,heandPeterOrlovskyjoinedGregoryCorsoinParis.Corsointroducedthemtoashabbylodginghouseaboveabarat9rueGît-le-CoeurthatwastobecomeknownastheBeatHotel.Laterinhislife,Ginsbergformedabridgebetweenthebeatmovementofthe1950sandthehippiesofthe1960s,befriending,amongothers,TimothyLeary,KenKesey,andBobDylan.1974–NationalBookAward1979–AmericanAcademyandInstituteofArtsandLetters1984–visitingBeijing,Baoding,Shanghai1995–PulitzerPrize1997–diedYoungAllenGins