Customer Reviews

The Holy Barbarians

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"When the barbarians appear on the frontiers of a civilization it is a sign of crisis in that civilization. If the barbarians come, not with weapons of war but with the songs and ikons of peace, it is a sign that the crisis is one of a spiritual nature".

Gilmore Girls fans will recall that Rory was reading this book midway through the third season, telling Jess excitedly that it was a book by a Venice Beach beatnik about Venice Beach beatniks. She's right of course, but her description alone would be a little misleading. (Rory also mentions that Lipton's son James does those Actors Studio interviews. Quite funny to keep in mind while reading)....

The book is divided into four sections, but the last three could practically be collated into one. The first of the sections is mainly a collection of little scenes out of the lives of (actual) Venice Beach beatniks in the 1950's, as well as some of their biographies. These are amazing glimpses into the lives and culture of the beatniks that you couldn't really get anywhere else. Lipton is the perfect guide. He lived through similar (but, he contends, essentially very different) movements in the twenties, thirties, and forties, has written essential pieces in the canon of beatnik literature, and is an accepted member and even a sort of patriarch of these beatniks of Venice West. The first section is probably the best part of the book - Lipton is great at observing and describing these people, although at times you wish he would back away from the picture and let us decide what every little thing means. We finally get the chance to forget Lipton for awhile at the very end, where he has included some recordings he made of conversations among the group. This is my favorite part in the book - what they say is both funny and strange and a little unnerving.

The next three sections are essentially essays by Lipton on all aspects of beat culture - from rituals to marijuana to jazz to their feelings on the wars. He also talks extensively about the beatniks' reactions to the "squares", i.e., all the rest of us. It gets a little tiring. Most tiring of all is to read about all the many rules that cover what a true beatnik would or would not do. For example, "Opera the beat will not be found dead with...Opera is for squares." etc., etc.

However, Lipton does provide a very discerning look at American society, especially in the 50's, from the perspective of the ones who rejected it. This is an excellent resource, practically an essential one, for anyone who wishes to research beatnik culture, especially as it relates to the rest of American culture, including other subcultures. Lipton also looks at the twenties, thirties, and forties, and the similar movements then. He provides insights into other beatnik writings from the perspective of a true beatnik (was he? I couldn't say). If you've been getting your information on beatnik culture in the 1950s from On the Road, Lipton has a thing or two to say to you.

Other good parts:
1) Lipton, when discussing books that a beatnik would read, (as opposed to books that a square would), offers tons of names of authors, many of whom are now long forgotten and out of print, but definitely deserve a second look (Edward Dahlberg and Kenneth Fearing anyone?).

2) Where else will you find numerous tape-recorded conversations between Gregory Corso and Allen Ginsberg? (By the way, if you've never heard of Gregory Corso, PLEASE type his name into the little search field near the top of this page)

Bottom line: read this book.

Lawrence Lipton was a writer, American journalist, and a beat poet. In this book Lipton tries to show the beatniks as they truly were. He shows how misunderstood the beatniks were and gives an unbiased opinion about them. Lipton lived from 1889 until 1975 and came to Chicago, Illinois in 1903. He worked as a journalist for the Jewish Daily Forward and was a publicity director for a movie theater. He wrote for numerous newspapers/magazines. He co-authored many books but also wrote independently. Brother, the Laugh is Bitter, In Secret Battle, and Rainbow at Midnight are other books that Lipton published. In the beginning of the book, it is hard to see where exactly the story is going. Lipton spends the first two hundred pages with short simple biographies of his beatnik friends that are the main characters of this book, and he shares pieces of poetry written by Lipton and his friends. Although at times it seems as if there is no narrative, I would say that Lawrence Lipton accomplished his goal to show what the beatniks were like. The Holy Barbarians are often depicted as a drugged out group of people who do nothing but smoke pot, drink, and have sex. But Lipton shows the other side, how many of these individuals are very intellectual and simply chose to live the simple life of the poor. The book makes the life of the beats known for what they were. It goes in depth, below the group's cosmetic aspects, but to their souls and what they stood for. Even though there are times that this book gets slow, it is still a fantastic piece of literature that deserves to be read, so push through the slow parts and the reader will be rewarded.

This book gave me interesting views on the life of the beatniks. I enjoyed the read and how the book was broken into sections. At a few points the reading got very dry, but for the most part a delightful book.

Hard to believe that after all these years, with all the resurgence of interest in beat literature, that this book still remains out of print. Derided by some, praised by others, certainly the only book (other than Venice West by Maynard) ever to cover the seminal beat culture of Venice, Ca., who some say predated the S.F. scene. Is there a problem with Mr. Lipton's heirs? At the very least a small press should get this back out in public view. Venice bohemia of the 60's forward wouldn't have come about without it. I hope someone reads these two lone pleas here and acts on it. The recent gentrification of Venice is slowly killing off its history, and mostly only tourist photo books remain. A sorry fate for a community with such a rich literary background.

Take a glance at the fancy prices that used copies of this book are bringing. Should be enough to convince some publisher out there to print some fresh copies of "The Holy Barbarians." My copy has been gone since 1972. A house fire. I recall there were lots of photos of the Beats of Venice Beach California. 1950s era.

An insightful insiders look into the "Beat" scene in California's Venice Beach (circa 1955 to 1959)

Though it is out of print, the full book is available online as a "flip book", PDF download or print-on-demand at:

http://www.archive.org/details/holybarbarians000549mbp

Rare and acclaimed look at the Beat Generation. Mr. Lipton's book is the first complete and unbiased survey of the beat generation and its role in our society. He also provides a balanced discussion of their literature, art and music, of what they produce and fail to produce in the arts they practice.

The Hold Barbarians is an incredible book that deserves your time.