I'm just finishing this, this was the best book I've

Read Howl, its dedicated to Jack Keruoac and Neal Cassady. Also Visions of Cody and Big Sur. I also love the beats anon, but /lit/ really does not.

Henry Miller. Tropic of Cancer. Both prior to and better than any of the beats.

>>8396966
why not? glad someone else here does at least

been down so long

>>8397009
Their fanbase is and has always been largely the worst kind of hipsters and tryhards. Of course that's no reason to dismiss the work itself but for many people thats enough of a reason to not associate with it. Im sure some people also just genuinely dislike the writing style and the work of the beats.

>>8397249
the only fan i've ever encountered of beat poetry was a friendly italian girl in europe who was neither a hipster nor a tryhard, and i live in northern california and have been to city lights many times

there are of course people who probably just don't like the style, but the tendency to group fans of specific things into specific categories to be criticized has become so typical and disgusting

>>8397325
I absolutely agree. I know talented and reasonable people who love the beats and I also know overprivileged unbearable rich girls who havent read them outside of tumblr quotes and got "Howl" tattooed on their ankles.

>>8397014
>>8397014
thiiiiiiiiiiiiiiis

i fucking loooOOOooOOOoooOOve this novel
makes me nostalgic for college even tho i never went

>>8396966
If Howl is dedicated to anyone, it's Carl Solomon. While the poem does pay hommage to all the Beats and anyone else who is considered part of the "generation" and the "struggle," Solomon was particularly in mind.

Also of note - Ginsberg semi-ripped off Kenneth Rexroth's "Thou Shalt Not Kill," but "Howl" became more famous after Ginsberg a) read his poem at the Gallery Six and b) got "Howl" published, which spurred a lawsuit on censorship for its obsene imagery.

>>8396947

Anyway, you should read more of the Beats if you liked "On the Road."

East Coast: Allen Ginsberg, William Burroughs, Herbet Hunke, John Clellon Holmes ("Go" was the first published Beat novel), Neal Cassady, and Carl Solomon.

West Coast: Kenneth Rexroth, Lawrence Ferlinghetti (mastermind behind City Lights), Gary Snyder, Michael McClure, and Philip Whalen.

Women: Joyce Johnson, Diane DiPrima, Hettie Jones, and Carolyn Cassady.

Of Jack Kerouac's works, his other big publish was "The Dharma Bums," and then I would recommend "Big Sur," to get insight on the dark side of Beat Generation, and how it ultimately destroyed him.

Enjoy!

i've been curious about this one for ages. should i get the original or the 'unedited scroll' edition?

Claude McKay
Bob Kaufman
Nathaniel Mackey

>>8397638
I would suggest the original. Part of why it was so popular is because it was heavily edited as the the original scroll can be kind of insufferable. His other books failed to find the same success because they weren't edited. Kerouac has a strong tendency to ramble without substance.

But ultimately, the choice is up to you. You may actually find you like the unedited version.

How old are you OP? I know the phrase is often used as a pejorative here, I'm just hoping to better tailor recs.

>>8398144
>>8397638
I prefer the original scroll because I preferred to read the actual names of the real life characters and liked Keruoac's rambling style

>>8398234
Yeah, I acknowledge that it's different for everyone and everyone has different preferences. That's a good point about the actual names of the people, so there are benefits to either.

>>8398155
it's alright, reasonable question
19, i'd be happy for anything you could give me if you're still here

>>8398234
>>8397638
i think the original scroll is in a little more spirit with the philosophy of the book, and knowing who everyone is in real life is cool if you're interested in the scene at all

that guy who said the original book is better tailored is probably right but calling is style 'rambling' is too demeaning i think, it's a very sophisticated stream-of-conscious
in line with his intentions, it's like how a really good jazz player improvises around a preset theme and creates something personal, meaningful, and complex even though it isn't persay a compostition