A Literary Movement
The Beats were a group of post-WWII American writers who came to rise in the 1950s. The main elements of the “Beat” culture included drugs, alternative forms of sexuality, a rejection of materialism, and the idealizing of exuberant, unexpurgated means of expression and being. They rejected the traditionalilty of the American culture after World War II.
Some of the better-known writers of the Beat generation include Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and William S. Burroughs. They wrote works such as Howl, On the Road, and Naked Lunch, respectively. Howl and Naked Lunch were the subjects of obscenity trials that helped pave the road for liberated publishing in the U.S.
The Beats became known for their non-conformity and their spontaneous creativity. At the beginning, they met in New York City and eventually ended up in San Francisco, becoming part of the San Francisco Renaissance.
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by Shannon Wright
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