"Born in the wake of World War II, and reaching expressive peaks during the otherwise staid 1950s, the Beat Generation was the first in American history to defiantly break from the past and point the way forward for young Americans. Every subculture to emerge since owes a debt to the Beats, who left an indelible mark on American history." "Drawing on extensive research to show just how profound an impact the Beats had on American culture, politics,...

Part of "The Duluoz Legend, a multivolume autobiographical saga recording the major events of the author's life"--Page 761.

The story and history of the Beats couldn't be found in the traditional libraries or archives of academic research. For preeminent historian of Beat culture John Tytell, it had to be found in the bars, towns, roads, and hangouts of these writers and figures. And, as Writing Beat demonstrates, the same techniques apply to new and future writers. Approaching the history of postwar twentieth-century American literature, and in particular the Beat literary...