Beat Book (Hardcover)

by Anne Waldman (Author) "GREGORY CORSO was born in 1930 in Greenwich Village, New York City, to teenage immigrant parents..." (more)
Key Phrases: little bum, beat generation, Allen Ginsberg, Gary Snyder, Mexico City (more...)

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review
A selection of the most exemplary poetry and prose of the Beat writers and writers influenced by the Beat Generation, and visits to high-points "on the Beaten path," such as Kerouac's hometown, and Tangiers, where William S. Burroughs wrote portions of Naked Lunch.

Review
Crow Jane: Crow Jane In High Society by Amiri Baraka
Crow Jane: Crow Jane The Crook by Amiri Baraka
Crow Jane: Crow Jane's Manner by Amiri Baraka
Crow Jane: For Crow Jane, Mama Death by Amiri Baraka
Crow Jane: The Dead Lady Canonized by Amiri Baraka
Hymn For Lanie Poo by Amiri Baraka
In Memory Of Radio by Amiri Baraka
Preface To A Twenty Volume Suicide Note by Amiri Baraka
We Own The Night by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 10 by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 11. Rough Hand Dreamers by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 12. A Farmer Come To The City by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 13 by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 5 by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 6 by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 7 by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 8 by Amiri Baraka
Why's/wise: Wise 9 by Amiri Baraka
Cold Lost Marbles by William S. Burroughs
My Legs Senor by William S. Burroughs
Amnesia In Memphis by Gregory Corso
Dream Of A Baseball Star by Gregory Corso
For Homer by Gregory Corso
I Held A Shelley Manuscript by Gregory Corso
The Last Gangster by Gregory Corso
The Mad Yak by Gregory Corso
Poets Hitchhiking On The Highway by Gregory Corso
Rembrandt - Self Portrait by Gregory Corso
Sea Chanty by Gregory Corso
Spontaneous Requiem For The American Indian by Gregory Corso
The Whole Mess Almost by Gregory Corso
Zizi's Lament by Gregory Corso
Abyss by Diane Di Prima
American Indian Art: Form And Tradition by Diane Di Prima
Ave, Fr. Loba by Diane Di Prima
Brief Wyoming Meditation by Diane Di Prima
Death Sunyata Chant: A Rite For Passing Over by Diane Di Prima
For The Dead Lecturer by Diane Di Prima
Fragmented Address To The Fbi by Diane Di Prima
I Fail As A Dharma Teacher by Diane Di Prima
Montezuma by Diane Di Prima
Poem In Praise Of My Husband (taos) by Diane Di Prima
The Practice Of Magical Evocation by Diane Di Prima
Rant by Diane Di Prima
Short Note On The Sparseness Of The Language by Diane Di Prima
Song For Baby-o, Unborn by Diane Di Prima
Tassajara, 1969 by Diane Di Prima
To The Unnamed Buddhist Nun Who Burned Herself To Death by Diane Di Prima
Baseball Canto by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Ladakh Buddhess Biker by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Pound At Spoleto by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
A River Still To Be Found by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Third World Calling by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
Work-in-progress, Sels. by Lawrence Ferlinghetti
After Lalon by Allen Ginsberg
At Apollinaire's Grave by Allen Ginsberg
The Blue Angel by Allen Ginsberg
The Charnel Ground by Allen Ginsberg
Death News by Allen Ginsberg
Describe: The Rain On Dasaswamedh Ghat by Allen Ginsberg
The Green Automobile by Allen Ginsberg
Kaddish: Part 4 by Allen Ginsberg
Kaddish: Part 5 by Allen Ginsberg
Kral Majales by Allen Ginsberg
Malest Cornifici Tuo Catullo by Allen Ginsberg
On Neal's Ashes by Allen Ginsberg
Part 2 by Allen Ginsberg
Pentagon Exorcism by Allen Ginsberg
Wales Visitation by Allen Ginsberg
Cold Mountain Poems: 1 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 10 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 12 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 13 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 15 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 16 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 2 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 20 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 23 by Han Shan
Cold Mountain Poems: 24 by Han Shan
First They Slaughtered The Angels by Lenore Kandel
Spring 61 by Lenore Kandel
Blues Note by Bob Kaufman
Buddha by John Kerouac
How To Meditate by John Kerouac
Mexico City Blues (211th Chorus) by John Kerouac
Mexico City Blues (239th Chorus) by John Kerouac
Caption For A Miniature by Joanne Kyger
Every Day I Burn A Stick Of Incense by Joanne Kyger
It's Been A Long Time by Joanne Kyger
The Maze by Joanne Kyger
New Bulletin From Keith Lampe by Joanne Kyger
October 29, 1963, Wednesday by Joanne Kyger
Pan As The Son Of Penelope by Joanne Kyger
Philip Whalen's Hat by Joanne Kyger
Dark Brown: Fuck Ode by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Ghost Tantra: 2 by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Ghost Tantra: 23 by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Ghost Tantra: 39 by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Ghost Tantra: 4 by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Ghost Tantra: 51 by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Mad Sonnet: Fame by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Mad Sonnet: Grace by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Peyote Poem: Part 1 by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Reading Frank O'hara In A Mexican Rainstorm by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Senate Hearings by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Song: Vietnam by Michael Thomas Mcclure
Dick Tracy's Yellow Hat by Peter Orlovsky
Dream May 18, 1958 by Peter Orlovsky
I Dream Of St. Francis by Peter Orlovsky
Snail Poem by Peter Orlovsky
As For Poets by Gary Snyder
Building by Gary Snyder
Cartagena by Gary Snyder
Circumambulating Arunachala by Gary Snyder
For A Far-out Friend by Gary Snyder
For A Stone Girl At Sanchi by Gary Snyder
For The Boy Who Was Dodger Point Lookout Fifteen Years Ago by Gary Snyder
Four Poems For Robin: A Spring Night In Shokoku-ji by Gary Snyder
Four Poems For Robin: An Autumn Morning In Skokoku-ji by Gary Snyder
Four Poems For Robin: December At Yase by Gary Snyder
Four Poems For Robin: Siwashing It Out .. In Sisulaw Forest by Gary Snyder
Hay For The Horses by Gary Snyder
Milton By Firelight by Gary Snyder
Nansen by Gary Snyder
No Shoes No Shirt No Service by Gary Snyder
Old Woman Nature by Gary Snyder
Through The Smoke Hole; For Don Allen by Gary Snyder
Word Basket Woman by Gary Snyder
Chicago Poem by Lew Welch
The Empress Herself Served Tea To Su Tung-po by Lew Welch
He Thanks His Woodpile by Lew Welch
I Saw Myself by Lew Welch
The Image, As In A Hexagram by Lew Welch
In Answer To A Question From P.w. by Lew Welch
Sausalito Trash Prayer by Lew Welch
Song Of The Turkeu Buzzard by Lew Welch
Taxi Suite: After Anacreon by Lew Welch
This Book Is For Magda by Lew Welch
Whenever I Make A New Poem by Lew Welch
Chanson D'outre Tombe by Philip Whalen
Complaint: To The Muse by Philip Whalen
Further Notice by Philip Whalen
Hymnus Ad Patrem Sinensis by Philip Whalen
International Date Line, Monday/monday 27: Xi:67 by Philip Whalen
'never Apologiz; Never Explain' by Philip Whalen
Regalia In Immediate Demand by Philip Whalen
Sourdough Mountain Lookout; For Kenneth Rexroth by Philip Whalen
Walking Beside The Kamogawa, Remembering Nansen And Fudo ... by Philip Whalen
The Acts Of Youth by John Wieners
Children Of The Working Class by John Wieners
My Mother by John Wieners
A Poem For Museum Goers by John Wieners
A Poem For Painters by John Wieners
A Poem For The Insane by John Wieners
A Poem For Trapped Things by John Wieners
A Poem For Vipers by John Wieners
With Meaning by John Wieners
-- Table of Poems from Poem Finder®

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Product Details

• Hardcover: 376 pages
• Publisher: Shambhala; 1st edition (March 19, 1996)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1570620008
• ISBN-13: 978-1570620003
• Product Dimensions: 9.2 x 5.8 x 1.5 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1.2 pounds
• Average Customer Review: 3.8 out of 5 stars See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #1,804,562 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

2 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

4.0 out of 5 stars It's a mix bag, but overall, its a good try. , December 25, 2004

By	C. D. Varn "fabianwhig" (Macon, GA United States) - See all my reviews (REAL NAME)

This review is from: Beat Book (Paperback)

The introductions were a little sparse and a lot of the homosexuality was considerably downplayed, Ann's book does give language poetry and female Beats like Diane DiPrima much more space than they get in other Beat anthologies. In fact, much of the "man's world" that is Beat literature is balanced in this anthology. I admit, sometimes, when it comes to overviews of the American avant-garde, one is trading one whitewash for another.

Anyway, this anthology devotes time to writers other than the big three of the Beats. Selections from Joanne Kyger, John Wieners, Diane Di Prima, and Lenore Kandel make this anthology well-worth its price despite its flaws.

17 of 30 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars homophobia unleashed, April 6, 2000

By	Nysocboy (Wisconsin) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Beat Book (Paperback)

Did you know that Burroughs was straight? Or Ginsburg? Yep -- not a word about their homoerotic interests, either in the poems selected (or oddly slashed up) or in the intros. We do find out that Orlovsky was Ginsburg's "companion" -- is this the year 1928? The editor evidently thinks so. Instead of providing an honest introduction to Beat work, she inflicts salacious, incredibly obscure pieces upon us, like a 6-page rant from Michael McClure about (and I quote) "woman woman woman woman woman woman woman." This anthology tells us a lot about the editor's personal idiosyncracies, but it is not a balanced portrayal of the Beats.

3 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars This is still #1, September 1, 1999

By A Customer

This review is from: Beat Book (Paperback)

Ann,# 1 biographer-with Gerald Nicosia, did the basics, then cam Rolling Stones' "Book of the Beat'..'99..both-are inseparable pieces to the "Beat" heart..a distillation that cannot be surpassed..in this Century" Lowell Celebrates Keoauc, 12th events...