"With the resurgence of interest in the Beats comes this timely anthology of both poetry and prose selections.... The volume introduces the ambivalence of the age and would make a welcome gift not only for teenagers, but for their parents, as well."--Kirkus Reviews
Book Description
Editorial Reviews
From Publishers Weekly
Back in 1960, before he began writing for children, Newbery Honor author Kherdian (The Road from Home) carved out a berth for himself among the Beat poets of San Francisco; as he writes in his introduction to this highly personal anthology, he was among the first to publish articles about their work, and he knew the central figures intimately. Here he highlights the rebellious and bohemian spirit of the times with poems by Allen Ginsberg, Gregory Corso, Diane di Prima and many others. With an essay by Holt editor Marc Aronson, brief biographical sketches of the poets and an excellent bibliography, this book offers a lively and historically useful entree to the Beat movement. In Kherdian's view, the '50s and early '60s comprise "the last period" in which poetry "that is alive, that breathes, that touches our soul" was written. While his selection does not always reflect the best work of individual poets, the volume itself plunges the reader into the teeming life of the "angelheaded hipsters" (Ginsberg) who watch "the world walk by in its curious shoes" (Lawrence Ferlinghetti). Ages 14-up.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
From School Library Journal
Grade 9 Up?Kherdian hung out with Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and other icons of the Beat domain; he heard their disdain and absorbed their inspired agony. Here, he has gathered a representative sampling of their work, both East and West Coast poets, both well-known and incidental. Ginsberg's epic "Howl" appropriately opens the volume. Kaufman's "Bagel Shop Jazz" offers one of the best looks at the movement with its "turtle-neck angel guys" and "mulberry-eyed girls in black stockings...lost in a dream world where time is told with a beat." The lines are harsh, speaking of abuse, drugs, sex, and carnage amid hope and dreams. The words are oft confusing, sometimes seemingly random, but always flailing against that brick wall of convention. With an open mind and ear, readers can gather a pretty good sense of the thoughts and lives of these confused, mighty, and eloquent writers. Brief bios offer a fleeting additional glimpse. For a condensed and intense view of one aspect of this troubled generation, Beat Voices can't be beat. The poetry is palpable and powerful. While perhaps not for everyone's tastes, these lines of poetry and sometimes prose offer a vision of the movement that challenged authority, religion, common sense, and life in general. Today's YAs should be able to relate to their intent, if not their specific words and references.?Sharon Korbeck, Waupaca Area Public Library, WI
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
Copyright 1995 Reed Business Information, Inc.
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