The Portable Beat Reader (Viking Portable Library) [Paperback]

Ann Charters (Editor)

Book Description

Series: Viking Portable Library | Publication Date: November 1, 1992

An anthology of writing from the Beat Generation features the surrealism of Burroughs, the poetry of Ginsberg, the zen prose of Gary Snyder, and essays, songs lyrics, letters, and memoirs by Cassady, Corso, Di Prima, Dylan, Baraka, and Kerouac. Reprint.

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

The Portable Beat Reader is an excellent and thorough study of the Beat Generation, compiled and edited by Ann Charters, biographer of Jack Kerouac and one of our most notable experts on Beat literature and ideas. This lively work of scholarship goes deeply into the history of the Beat movement, investigating events such as the discovery (by writer William Burroughs) of the word beat to describe this literary generation. The reader includes essays on all the major prose and poetry writers, such as Allen Ginsberg, and offers rare insight into the literary-historical context of the movement.

From Publishers Weekly

Cutting through bohemian posturing and excess, Charters reprints the most vital material produced by writers of the Beat generation, offering a broad perspective on the movement by including work by lesser-known figures alongside that of leading lights Jack Kerouac and William S. Burroughs.
Copyright 1992 Reed Business Information, Inc.

See all Editorial Reviews

Product Details

• Paperback: 688 pages
• Publisher: Penguin (Non-Classics); Uncorrected proof. edition (November 1, 1992)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0140151028
• ISBN-13: 978-0140151022
• Product Dimensions: 7.7 x 5.1 x 1.3 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 4.7 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (21 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #678,306 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

More About the Author

Discover books, learn about writers, read author blogs, and more.

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

20 of 20 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Good Start for the "Beat"en Path, September 12, 2000

By 

A.Trendl HungarianBookstore.com "What should ... (Glen Ellyn, IL USA) - See all my reviews
(VINE VOICE)    (TOP 1000 REVIEWER)   

This review is from: The Portable Beat Reader (Viking Portable Library) (Paperback)

Nice sampler... all the writers you should expect are in here.

A feature I enjoyed particularly was the intro section... read about the writer before the piece. Since I had not heard of so many of these writers, I found it intriguing to see how many were part of the same group of friends. The Beats largely were connected with each other's lives... and fed off each other's style and work.

Buy this book, then go get the full works of these individual writers. For an anthology of Beat writers, you will find no better book.

I fully recommend this book.

Anthony Trendl

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars A Great Guide If You Don't Know What You Like, March 30, 2004

By 

Autumn May (MI United States) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Portable Beat Reader (Mass Market Paperback)

This book features some excellent beat writers and includes informative blurbs on their history and style. Each artist has a little chunk of their writing for you to sample, and the material is everything from stories to letters to classically bad prose.

What impressed me were the essays by each other, on the actual generation hype.

"Young people seemed more intense, clutching, and I couldn't help feeling they took themselves too seriously... 'good, clean fun' appeared to be a thing of the past. Or perhaps the aura of suspicion and defensiveness was merely a reflection of my own fears..." --Carylon Cassady

It's a great book for deciding which authors you want to read more of.

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Essential for fans of 20th century literature, June 30, 2002

By 

justin (USA) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Portable Beat Reader (Viking Portable Library) (Paperback)

Simply put, this is what I turn to when I need inspiration for reading, for creating, for anything. It combines wonderful bios of everyone from Kerouac to Bob Dylan, and their poems, book excerpts, and lyrics galore. Absolutely enjoyable, absolutely essential. Thank god for Ann Charters.