The Beat generation in the US in the 1950s rebelled against materialism and questioned traditional American cultural values. They were portrayed often as black clad, beret wearing, bongo playing and ULTRA Cool ‘cats’. A classic caricature was the character Maynard G Krebs, played by Bob Denver. But the Beat writers were a serious group. The most famous were Jack Kerouac, the poet Allen Ginsberg and William S Burroughs. Probably the most influential literary work was Kerouac’s ‘On the Road’. The most revolutionary work in the poetry genre was Ginsberg’s ‘Howl’. If you haven’t read them, DO IT. As for Burroughs, read him at your peril. I love totally whacked out literature and music, but have to admit that even as loopy a writer and reader as I am I couldn’t get through ‘Naked Lunch’ and abandoned ‘The Red Night’ trilogy halfway through the first book, ‘Cities of the Red Night’.
Today, continuing my effort to publish a few pieces that are fun and wistful I am offering my ‘Beat’ poem: ‘Tranche of Time’. Just click on the link and read. Have fun!
