Ecstasy of the Beats: On the Road to Understanding
Who were the beats? Not the sandle-clad "beatniks" of popular lore but dedicated writers, experimenters, skit improvisers, theorizers, hedonists, close friends, bisexual free lovers, shapers of the future. The beats hung out at Columbia university and cheap Times Square cafeterias, devouring ideas. David Creighton shows how the world has taken up their message. InEcstasy of the Beatshe gives a fresh portrait of Carolyn Cassady, "Queen of the Beats," and of the four major Beat writers.Jack Kerouac'sOn the Roadgave a pattern of adventure to restless youth, Allen Ginsberg donned a prophet's robe by writingHowl, William Burroughs warned against control mechanisms inNaked Lunch, and Neal Cassady's high-energy life made him an icon of freedom. Travelling widely to see where they lived, Creighton enriches the meaning ofOn the Roadand other Beat classics. He invites the reader on the Beats' journey toward ever-deeper levels of understanding and provides interesting insight into Kerouacs French-Canadian roots.