So, Veeky Forums, how do you feel about the Beat generation?
Ginsberg and Burroughs and Kerouac.
Was their deviation from the norm revolutionary, changing the face of writing?
Or were they just a bunch of 20-somethings thrilled to stray from what was popular?
I loved 'On The Road', but 'Naked Lunch' is a bit harder to properly digest. I can't tell where I stand.
Burroughs is all I can stand and it mostly due to his writing being postmodern .
who's on the cover there? looks like lew welch and gary snyder
I am against sexually active people and those with liberal attitudes
While I agree, his writing feels as wordy as William Carlos Williams, in terms of over-explaining in ways that don't feel artistic or necessary.
I absolutely love Kerouac. I like Burroughs. Ginsberg is okay.
Theyre decent writers and awful people. Ginsberg was probably the best.
Who isn't an awful person by opinion of another?
Nah these guys, im sure many many people would agree, were just genuinely scummy, spoiled, awful pedos. Which doesnt always reflect on their writing. I think their writing is good enough.
burroughs is GOAT
Revisited them recently. Burroughs is the only decent writer. Big sur by Kerouac was ok.
Ginsberg was a better publicist than poet.
Kerouac wasn't a pedo I don't think. He was disgusted by Perry in "Big Sur" when Perry was ogling little girls and talking about kidnapping them. He wrote about Neil Cassidy hooking up with 16 year olds and shit but I don't recall Kerouac being involved with that.
I don't think Ginsberg was either, just queer. I don't know enough about Burroughs aside from his appearances in the Kerouac's work. I need to read more Burroughs.
The Dharma Bums > On the Road: The original scroll > Desolation Angels > Big Sur > Visions of Cody > The Subterraneans > everything else
Kerouac's Dharma Bums was the best thing I read last year, partly because it coincided with a deepening of my own zen practice. It was really cool to see someone else wrestling with the same concepts I was/am. Dharma Bums led me to devour a lot of Snyder and other Kerouac, which I enjoyed too.
And Ginsberg remains one of the best 20th century poets, in my opinion. Howl kicks ass.
Are you me? Although I haven't started any Gary Snyder yet, what would you recommend?
The Dharma Bums came into my life in the most serendipitous time possible. It was exactly what I needed and sent me down a Kerouac rabbit hole.
I love Ginsberg but I dislike Kerouac (except Mexico City Blues) and Burroughs
Trick question, motherfucker. We are all one. >:3
But seriously, I finished Snyder's Practice of the Wild and felt like I learned a ton about ~nature~ and ~the world~. Aside from that, I just flipped through whatever essays I could find online (there are a bunch if you look). Maybe this year I'll check out his actual poetry.
(Oh also, if you're into actually doing zen shit, I highly ultra recommend Zen Mind, Beginner's Mind. It's so rich with insight that I just start rereading it whenever I finish.)
>I don't think Ginsberg was either, just queer.
(((Ginsberg))) was literally a member of NAMBLA
Thank you! Thank you!
This I didn't know...
WOULD FUCK
ESPECIALLY DEAN
why do people say shit like this about williams?
Burroughs is genious for me,prefer him than Kerouac or Ginsbergh.
Readed Junkie and love it,and at moment i'm in Naked Lunch.
Ginsbergh for me is that guy who was famous friends and make success along them (Kerouac himself and Dylan later).
Also,Ferlinghetti is another guy who worth read it (his genre is not a 'beat',but he was friend of all these people).
God,i hated Big Sur.
From Kerouac like the And the Hippos Were Boiled in Their Tanks,write among Burroughs.
what did you hate about it? i was gonna read that next
Well,i've never read any of Kerouac before it.
I thought boring.
Also,still never read On the Road or other book from him.
Hippos has more ''energy'',it's a novel in other way.
read maggie cassidy
Big Sur is probably the worst place to start with Kerouac imo tbqh
Unfortunately,i've discovered that.
I read Big Sur after Dharma Bums and On the Road. It took a few days after I finished Big Sur for it really to sink in and appreciate it for what it is, but it's best to be more familiar with his other work.
The Dharma Bums sucked me in but On the Road: the Original Scroll is really what got me hooked on Kerouac. I liked it because all of the real names were used before they were edited before being published and it was a lot more raw. By the time I started Big Sur and Desolation Angels I was having fun with the character keys and realizing who each character is.
Ew no. If anything the opposite is true of kerouac. Ginsberg was infinitely more talented than pretentious jackie boy.
I see.
But from the style of authors,i prefer Burroughs.Have you read Junkie? It's simply great.
Don't like Ginsbergh.Tried Howl and Fall of America,understand how innovative his work were at that times,but just don't like it.
As i said either,don't like Kerouac too,but just read the Big Sur.
No, I've been meaning to transition to Burroughs with And the Hippos Were Boiled in their Tanks then go to either Junkie or Naked Lunch
Fair enough. Its not necessarily about innovation though. Some of his poetry is actually pretty clever and his ideas are interesting. I think reading blake and ginsbergs interview in the paris review is essential to understanding where he wanted to go as a poet.
Thanks for the tip.
From the beat poetry,liked a lot of Ferlinghetti ('''''''''beat''''''').
Goya's greatest scenes it's simply amazing.
I'm not really a Beat Generation fan but you've got to appreciate them for their cultural and historical significance. In a way they pioneered the hedonistic youth culture of the 20th Century.
I couldn't stand the Dharma Bums, although I only got up to the point where the climb Matterhorn. Struck me as waffle from a proto-yuppy, and the Buddhist stuff quickly became jarring.
I preferred On the Road, although I read that when I was much younger, which may partly explain it.
Also read The First Third by Neal Cassady, which is written in a sloppy stream of consciousness style and only spans the first few years of his life. He also gives an account of his ancestors going back 3 or 4 generations which is interesting and explains quite a lot about himself. It's an easy read and well worth checking out if you're interested in that group and era.
Burroughs is my favorite. He is at the core of the Beat generation and at the same time stands on his own out of it.
Kerouac impresses when you're young, especially if you're a jazz fan, you understand how it's linked to his writing but really On the road is not that interesting.
Ginsberg has a few good poems, but he was mostly annoying.
I haven't read Ferlinghetti or Corso yet but i will eventually.
1.) I really enjoy (most of) the Beat generation.
2.) That being said, the only thing they really offer is passion for life and irreverence towards authority (valuable lessons, but not the be all end all).
3.) Those who think that saying "fuck the middle class" is the purpose of literature are either idiots, assholes, or both.