Have one to sell? Sell yours here
 
 
This is the Beat Generation
 
See larger image 
Share your own customer images
Publisher: learn how customers can search inside this book.

This is the Beat Generation (Paperback)

by James Campbell (Author)
4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)

Available from these sellers.


7 used from £6.00
Other Editions: RRP: Our Price: Other Offers:
Paperback (New edition) 8 used & new from £6.99

Customers Who Bought This Item Also Bought

Naked Lunch

Naked Lunch

by William Burroughs
3.9 out of 5 stars (28)  £5.97
The Dharma Bums (Penguin Modern Classics)

The Dharma Bums (Penguin Modern Classics)

by Jack Kerouac
4.1 out of 5 stars (16)  £6.47
Naked Angels: The Lives and Literature of the Beat Generation

Naked Angels: The Lives and Literature of the Beat Generation

by John Tytell
£7.94
Collected Poems 1947-1997 (Penguin Modern Classics)

Collected Poems 1947-1997 (Penguin Modern Classics)

by Allen Ginsberg
5.0 out of 5 stars (1)  £16.50
Howl (Pocket Poets)

Howl (Pocket Poets)

by Allen Ginsberg
4.4 out of 5 stars (21)  £4.39
› Explore similar items

Product details

  • Paperback: 331 pages
  • Publisher: Martin Secker & Warburg Ltd; illustrated edition edition (20 May 1999)
  • Language English
  • ISBN-10: 0436204983
  • ISBN-13: 978-0436204982
  • Average Customer Review: 4.2 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (4 customer reviews)
  • Amazon.co.uk Sales Rank: 94,518 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

    •  Would you like to update product info or give feedback on images?

Product Description

Amazon.co.uk Review

As the leading members of the Beat Generation are increasingly incorporated into the mainstream of the literary canon, the time is clearly ripe for a carefully researched cultural history of the movement, and this is precisely what James Campbell has provided in his excellent book This is the Beat Generation. In a tour-de-force first section, Campbell reveals the immersion in madness and murder which first united Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg in the mid 1940s. Campbell offers a fascinating account of the literary development of all three writers, tracing the complex relations of all three to sex, drugs and crime. The book charts the domestic, artistic and geographical changes of all three writers, focusing on Kerouac's emotional paralysis, Ginsberg's struggle with his sexuality, and Burroughs' general weirdness. The most illuminating sections of the book are those which draw in the peripheral friends, lovers and muses which came to define the Beat Generation, as well as the sections on the development of On the Road, Howl and Other Poems and Naked Lunch. The book is painstakingly researched, and will be invaluable to anyone seriously interested in the Beats, as well as those who want to dip in for some great stories, but does lack a sense of the emotional relationships between its three central characters. Ending as it does in 1960, the book also cries out for a sequel which deals with the 60s and 70s. --Jerry Brotton


Product Description

Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs had all seen the inside of mental hospitals and prisons by the age of 30. This book charts the transformation of these experiences into a literary movement that spread across the globe in the decade and a half that followed World War II.

Tag this product

 (What's this?)
Think of a tag as a keyword or label you consider is strongly related to this product.
Tags will help all customers organize and find favorite items.
Your tags: Add your first tag
 
See most popular tags
 

Customer Reviews

4 Reviews
5 star:
 (2)
4 star:
 (1)
3 star:
 (1)
2 star:    (0)
1 star:    (0)
 
 
 
 
 
Average Customer Review
4.2 out of 5 stars (4 customer reviews)
 
 
 
 
Share your thoughts with other customers:
Most Helpful Customer Reviews

 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
3.0 out of 5 stars Cool, 24 Jul 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: This is the Beat Generation (Paperback)
This is an excellent history of the movers and shakers of the Beat Generation - primarily Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Burroughs. I would have liked more on where they came from, and a bit more on their influence. I also found Campbell's style a little florid at times. Nevertheless, it is an enjoyable and educational read.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars Inspirational., 24 Jun 2001
By A Customer
This review is from: This is the Beat Generation (Paperback)
I am a reader from Manchester, and found this account of the lives of those responsible for revolutionizing the way, both prose and verse can be written, extremely inspiring. Campbell has done his homework, and has come up with a piece of work that is not only educational, but immerses the reader into a scene that is full of life that is intellectually on the edge. A life worth digging! It gave me itchy feet, now I just want to hit the road! Do ya dig it?
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)



 
3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:
4.0 out of 5 stars Fascinating History of the Three Great Beats, 30 Jan 2000
By A Customer
Before reading Campbell's beautifully researched book I have never found a work that focused on the interrelated lives of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and Burroughs, tracing their development in parallel and tracking the eventual divergence as each went his own way -- artistically, politically, and spritually. This Is The Beat Generation is a fascinating book, difficult to put down once you have started reading. Campbell brings to light a number of stories and anecdotes that will likely be new material even for serious Beat fans. Readers looking for an introduction to the Beat movement should be equally pleased. The book is especially strong in establishing the social/cultural context in which the Beat movement took place. Oddly, the one thing missing is any real sense of the emotions that fueled the Beat movement and sustain the continuing interest in Beat writing. Campbell seems to cast a skeptical eye on the the Beats -- or perhaps he is simply more objective than many previous writers. Nevertheless, I finished the book with a rather bleak feeling, a curious counterpoint to the excitement, exuberance, and enthusiasm for life that infuses so much of the original Beat writing.
Comment Comment | Permalink | Was this review helpful to you? Yes No (Report this)


Share your thoughts with other customers: Create your own review
 
 
 
Most Recent Customer Reviews

5.0 out of 5 stars Excellent book detailing the lives of The Beats
This is the one book that you must read if you'd like to know what the Beat Movement meant, or how the brilliant books were composed. Read more
Published on 25 Jul 1999

Only search this product's reviews


Customer Discussions

This product's forum
Discussion Replies Latest Post
No discussions yet

Ask questions, Share opinions, Gain insight
Start a new discussion
Topic:
First post:
Prompts for sign-in
 


Active discussions in related forums
   
Related forums

Listmania!

Create a Listmania! list

Look for similar items by category

Look for similar items by subject



















i.e., each product must be in subject 1 AND subject 2 AND ...

Feedback

Ad

Your Recent History

 (What's this?)

After viewing product detail pages or search results, look here to find an easy way to navigate back to pages you are interested in.