BEAT GENERATION

= literary movement of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and
politics in the post-World War II era
- popularization in 1950’s
- main elements of beat generation/culture
- rejection of standard narrative values
- making spiritual quest
- exploration of American or Eastern religion
- rejection of materialism/hate for materialism
- portrayals of the human condition
- psychedelic drugs experimentation
- sexual, homosexual and black liberation; freedom of publishing, speech, expression
against censorship
- development of jazz and beat
- anti-military-industrial machine civilization
- bohemian style of life
- more equality – gender, race
- provocative behaviour
- peaceful mind – positive thinking
- finding bond between readers and writers – common interests and struggles
- most famous representatives
- Jack Kerouac – On the Road, a friendship with Neal Cassidy – big influence, he knew
Ginsberg and Burroughs
- Neal Cassidy – huge impact on beat generation, many characters on his basis –
“Dean Moriarty“ in Kerouac’s On the Road, “N. C.“ in Ginsberg’s Howl and Other
Poems, “Houlihan“ in Kesey’s Over the Border or even in Ch. Bukowski’s book Notes
of a Dirty Old Man as “Kerouac’s boy Neal C.“
- Ken Kessey – a writer between beat generation and hippies movement, famous for
his novel called One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest (for us famous for a movie
adaptation directed by Miloš Forman and winning 5 Oscars)
- Alan Ginsberg – a poet, he had taken part in famous Czech student festival Majáles
in Prague
- William Seward Burroughs II. – “a mentor“ for J. Kerouac and A. Ginsberg