Naked Angels: Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs [Paperback]

John Tytell (Author)

Book Description

Publication Date: January 18, 1994

Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs—their emergence in the late 1950s as the leading figures of the Beat movement marked one of the most spectacular developments in post-World War II American literature. John Tytell's classic study examines their attempt to redefine a complacent society's notion of sanity and normalcy and to reinvent their own lives through jazz, drugs, and law-breaking, acts that ultimately led to new forms of expression. A fascinating blend of literary and social criticism, history, and biography, Naked Angels is an indispensable introduction to the lives and work of these seminal figures, and an unsurpassed look at the powerful influence they had on the 1960s and beyond.

--This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Editorial Reviews

Review

The definitive history of the 'beat generation.' (Leon Edel )

Strong, urgent, ultimately thrilling.... In some 250 packed pages of text [Tytell] misses very little, unfolding his subjects' stories in detailed social and historical context and, separately, analyzing their art. Of particular usefulness is his careful tracing of the Beats' intellectual roots, their spiritual and literary influences. (New York Times Book Review )

A thoroughly readable and persuasive work that will take its place at the center of studies of literature [of these years]. (Thomas Parkinson American Literature )

Energy, conviction, and unexpected brilliance. (New Yorker )

An essential book. (John Clellon Holmes )

As fine a view as we are likely to get of this vibrant phase in American literary history. (Chicago Sun-Times ) --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

About the Author

John Tytell is professor of English at Queens College (CUNY) and the author of Ezra Pound, Reading New York, Paradise Outlaws, The Living Theatre, and Passionate Lives. He lives in New York City. --This text refers to an alternate Paperback edition.

Product Details

• Paperback: 273 pages
• Publisher: Grove Press (January 18, 1994)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0802132472
• ISBN-13: 978-0802132475
• Product Dimensions: 8.1 x 5.3 x 0.8 inches
• Shipping Weight: 9.6 ounces
• Average Customer Review: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #2,755,817 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars Critical Introduction to Core Beats, September 27, 2001

By 

MyComa - See all my reviews

This review is from: Naked Angels: Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs (Paperback)

Published over twenty years ago, Naked Angels still holds up as a thorough critical study of the works of Ginsberg, Burroughs, and Kerouac. The first section deals mainly in biography, but it seeks to explain why each of the writers explored certain topics and how their experiences shaped their styles. However, if you have studied these three in a biographical sense, the information presented here will not be new to you.

The second section covers the works of the three writers. While there is certainly a wealth of sources that give critical insights into Beat writing, this section brings them together into an often detailed, more often general study of Beat themes, styles, and voices. The Ginsberg section is particularly detailed in its analysis of Ginsberg's long lines and mysticism. Though Kerouac and Burroughs receive their share of treatment, the Burroughs section lacks the further illumination provided by Burroughs over the last twenty years of his life. And the Kerouac section hits only the high points, simply because it would be too difficult to cover every aspect of this prolific writer's work in a mere 70 pages.

This book is a solid overview of the core Beats and their seminal works. Its age shows at times, but it's worth a read as a well-written and well-thought treatment of Beat literature.

3 of 4 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars An Insight Into the Beats, March 28, 2001

By 

Thomas Swafford (Chattanooga,Tn) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Naked Angels: Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs (Paperback)

Tytell gives an excellent insight into the founding members of the Beat movement. He shows the backgrounds and the motivations of one of the most innovative literary movements in the 20th century. I would strongly recomend this for anyone , especially if they are just starting to explore this group of writers.