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De Beat Generation: Een Geïllustreerde Geschiedenis (2012)

by Harvey Pekar(Favorite Author)

3.4 of 5 Votes: 4

languge

English

genre

History & Biography

publisher

Parvenu

review 1: This is a really enjoyable graphic history of the beat literary movement. Its a compilation of topics organized mostly around individual beat poets and writers. The most attention is given to Kerouac, Ginsberg and Burroughs who naturally figure into chapters concerning other artists as well. Not all of the chapters are about specific artists, some are more broadly topical such as the excellent chapter, "Beatnik Chicks," "Art Beats"and "Jazz and Poetry." While some of the chapters felt thin and superficial, particularly the chapter on Ginsberg, the book as a whole is clever, good humoured and generally informative. Lesser known but interesting figures like Tuli Kupferberg and Phillip Lamantia are represented and attention is given both to the roots of the movement and to th... moree influence it has had on subsequent cultural movements from the hippies to Slam.
review 2: I read quite a few negative reviews of this book but I really enjoyed it. I realize it's not a word per word, illustrated biography of each player of the "beat scene", but rather a visual interpretation of the lives of the poets and writers that play an important role in American literature. The text is well-researched and reads well, told to the reader, panel by panel by the comic legend, Harvey Pekar (American Splendor). With the exception of the introduction (written by Paul Buhle and Pekar), the biographical stories are told panel by panel, drawn by some great underground cartoonists ranging from Ed Piskor to Mary Fleenor. The tales of Jack Kerouac, William S. Burroughs, Gregory Corso, Diane di Prima, Lawrence Ferlinghetti and other key players are all here. The beginning of the movement, starting in the late 1940's and early 50's, the Beats stood between the social collectivism of the FDR years and the freewheeling 1960's within the era of Cold War anxieties. These writers, poets and social activists would introduce poetry and prose that actually sounded like jazz. They would embrace Buddhism, American Indian themes, resist the draft, homosexuality and a slew of "socially unacceptable" themes. Pekar and Piskor explore all the aforementioned artists with such visual and literal appeal that even a newcomer to the writers would be well-informed by the end (however, for starters, I would suggest reading Ann Charters wonderful collection, The Portable Beat Reader).In a capsule, read the authors and pick up this fine book for the great artwork, you can tell it's a true work of passion and not just another desperate money-grab, thrown together at the last minute for would-be hipsters. There's some real heart and soul in these pages. less

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