The Beat Movement

I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical
     naked,
dragging themselves through the negro streets at dawn looking for an angry fix,
angelheaded hipsters burning for the ancient heavenly connection to the starry
     dynamo in the machinery of night . . .
     --Allen Ginsberg, "Howl" 1956

To this day, Allen Ginsberg is recognized as one of the fathers of Beat poetry. He was accompanied by Jack Kerouac, Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Gary Snyder and Gregory Curso. These men helped lead the Beat movement, which encompassed the 1950’s, in its defiance of conventional culture.

         The Beats aimed to question popular politics and culture through encouraging consciousness. Through their oral medium consisting of chaotic, impulsive verse, the Beats advocated personal release through heightened sensory awareness. This sensory awareness was most often achieved through hallucinogenic drugs, jazz, sex, and the practices of Zen Buddhism, popular among Beat leaders. Often apolitical and apathetic towards social issues, the Beats acted to challenge the materialism and consumerism of the 1950s.          Beat poets found runaway capitalism to be destructive to the human spirit and unethical in regards to the pursuit of social equality. Interestingly, the Beatniks adapted unconventional dress, manners and slang despite their educated, middle class backgrounds. In fact, the ‘founders’ of Beat culture first met at Columbia University in the 1940’s.

         Ferlinghetti’s City Lights bookstore in San Francisco, which still operates today, was a major hub for Beat culture. Los Angeles’ Venice West and New York City’s Greenwich Village were also popular destinations for Beatniks.

         Although the Beatniks died out in the 1960’s, today the repercussions of their movement are still tangible. The Beats challenged the foundation of censorship, broadened the definition of acceptable literature, and introduced ecology to the public eye.  

Fun Fact: Not surprisingly, the Beats were condemned by Joseph McCarthy to be communists that were a threat to the nation’s security.