Beat Down to Your Soul: What Was the Beat Generation?

by Ann Charters

The companion volume to The Portable Beat Reader brings together more than seventy-five reviews, memoirs, poems, essays, and sketches that capture the beliefs, controversies, and credos of the Beat Generation writers of the 1950s, offering profiles of all major Beat figures, as well as critical commentaries by writers and critics. Original.

Genres: History, Nonfiction, Anthologies

744 pages, Paperback

First published June 1, 2001

Reviews

[Alyssa · Rating 3 out of 5]

If you are at all interested in the Beat writers, or anything Beat related, this is at least an interesting book to peruse through. I didn't read every single word on every single page, I must admit. My time with this book is twice overdue, according to my library.

There is a mix of first-hand accounts with beat writers, articles on beat writers and the so-called Beat Generation, and fun writings/letters/poems by the Beats themselves.

This is definitely a book you can't just read straight through. As much as a tried. It must be revisited. Which I intend to do.

[robert · Rating 3 out of 5]

A series of readings listed alphabetically. Orlovsky on Charlie Chaplin and Trilling on Ginsberg are must reads. Buckley is sorta funny, Burroughs okay, Ginsberg inspiring, Kazin perceptive and stimulating. Brustein's slam creates a fascinating context (he sees Brando as a Beat). Joyce Johnson is really fun, Joyce Carol Oates balanced, Snyder plainspoken but effective, Stone condescending (Kerouac's no Melville but who the hell is!!!). Charters is honest and Tallman builds to an energetic three page conclusion. Henry Miller defends the amoral beats against the clean, upstanding war mongerers. But I checked this book out to read Podhoretz famous essay "The Know-Nothing Bohemians." He makes some seemingly valid points before a final attempt at character assassination -- writing that Kerouac "suffers from a pathetic poverty of feeling." This is so obviously wrong as to be laughable. His last few pages so completely reveal Podhoretz's own paranoid fears that they remind one of Rush Limbaugh and Glenn Beck. The essay ends up being cowardice masked as patriotic virtue. We see a lot of that lately.

[Jim · Rating 3 out of 5]

This is a good find for the "Beat Academics" or "Beat Historians". Its largely a biographical sketch of Beats major and Beats minor characters, also there is "some" poetry, and various takes on the Beat subject, times, influences, and the impact of the Beats.

If i picked just one selection it would be Ann Charters account of her experience at Kerouac's house in the last year or so of Kerouac's life. Ann was writing a Bibliography of Kerouac's work.

[Michael Mayer · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you are in any way interested in Kerouac, Burroughs, Ginsberg, and Ken Kesey and what they actually had to say about the "beat" scene, I highly recommend this book (and Jack's Book by Gifford). This book will probably turn you onto other lesser known writers and poets, as well.

[John · Rating 4 out of 5]

The counter-counter culture.

[Jamil · Rating 3 out of 5]

just read the essays on William Burroughs, by Ann Douglas, Alfred Kazin, Mary McCarthy, Anne Waldman.

[Fabian Hofland · Rating 5 out of 5]

I call this the beat bible. It has everyone who is anyone in it. The non chronological approach is also refreshing. Everything here adds to the beat scene and lore. Multi-faceted and amazing research/editing. Must read for true beat freaks!

[David Rullo · Rating 5 out of 5]

Quite a different read than Penguin's "Portable Beat Reader." This is much more of a companion piece about rather than by the Beat Generation. There are some excellent pieces including Daniel Pinchbeck's "Children of the Beats" and a transcript of a 1996 Panel Discussion with Women Writers of the Beat Generation. There are too many satirical pieces about the Beats but that's the only bad thing I can say about this fine anthology.