On the Road
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Flannery O'Connor on the Beats.
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Those tiresome "Beats."
Probably the best book ever written!
That's hilarious! And I would never expect anything less than razor sharp observations from Flannery O'Connor (who I love for eternity for her fantastic short story "A Good Man Is Hard To Find"). But still, On the Road is one of my favorite books of all time, even if the Beats did tend to smell....raw, celebratory, and full of delicious appetite for life!
It doesn't sound like she observed anything but surface appearance. She didn't read "the PR article" and didn't read their work, so what is she basing her snooty comments on? Nothing.BTW, I like Flannery O'Conner, but commenting on their personal hygiene is just being a bitch...
I don't think she was using the word smell literally. How does a poet smell, anyways?
Even Kerouac grew tired of the Beats as the 60s wore on and the Vietnam War split the nation. I think she was probably targeting Ginsberg more than full-blown writers like Kerouac. Still, cool quote.
Joanne wrote: "With his/her nose."Haha, well played!
Aw shucks Karl, thanks.
i understand, but i dont agree. its funny and ironic because kerouac seems to have in On the Road a little contempt for pretentious poets. i think the book goes far beyond a perfect poem, i think the book celebrate "it": life and their goals and dreams. the characters (inspired in real persons) act like they suposed to act. the beat generation is so valid like any generation or group, and the beat poets, like any kind of poet, is good or bad depending on each person viewing. someone who say "you can't trust them as poets" is monopolizing an opinion like if it was an absolute true. i dont care about the authors behaviors, just what they write. and if it touch me, is so valid like everything else.sorry my english :)
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"You can't trust them as poets either because they are too busy acting like poets. The true poet is anonymous, as to his habits, but these boys have to look, act, and apparently smell like poets"
I always admired her honesty when it came to opining on other writers.