Ann Charters edits this anthology of the Beat Generation, bringing together Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, Gary Snyder, Diane di Prima, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and many others. It includes poems such as "Howl," excerpts from On the Road and Naked Lunch, and letters, essays and shorter pieces. Charters provides notes on the writers and the scene in San Francisco, New York and elsewhere.
Readers new to the Beats can use it as a map, while those who know the central figures can find lesser-known writers, including women and writers of color. It offers a broad sample of a movement.
Deep and open-ended; a moderate read.
Best for readers like The Literary Connoisseur. Which reader are you?
- Published
- 1992
- Language
- EN
