Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1914689 in Books
• Published on: 2001-04-16
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Hardcover
• 286 pages

From the Publisher
Quotations, Description, Author Information
"As friend, cultural co-worker, and sometime subject of Fred McDarrah and his neighborly camera I’ve marveled at his historic constancy, decades of endurance."—Allen Ginsberg

"McDarrah’s photographs tell it like it really was"—New York Magazine

Beat Generation features candid photographs of modern icons like Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, William S. Burroughs, and Diane di Prima, alongside key early Beat works, many out-of-print or unavailable for years. The combination of text and images illustrates the Beat lifestyle in their own words. With a short introductory essay on the Beat movement, this is an authoritative and fascinating look at a uniquely American genre.

Fred W. McDarrah has exhibited his photos of the Beat generation around the world. The long-time Photo Editor for New York’s Village Voice, his photos have appeared in numerous books, many coauthored with his wife, Gloria S. McDarrah, including The Beat Scene, Kerouac and Friends, and The Artist’s World in Pictures.

Customer Reviews

"Beat Generation" worthy addition to any Beat collection
McDarrah's photograpic work evokes what it must have been like to frequent the bohemian scene of the late '50s and early '60's. Anyone who is greatly interested in the literature of this genre, but too young to have actual remembrances of this era, will find this work fascinating. Many of the photos have never been published before, and thus are a refreshing change from the standard photos of Kerouac, Ginsberg, and crew that have been served up so many times elsewhere. McDarrah, who I believe worked for the Village Voice at that time, has done a fine job in selecting the photos in this collection. My favorites are one of Diane DiPrima, perched on a piano reciting her poetry, and Herbert Huncke visiting Allen Ginsberg and attempting to fix the latter's broken TV. I also enjoyed the many pics of other accomplished, but lesser known figures of the era, and the establishments they frequented, such as the Cedars Bar & Grill.

Book that takes you to the heart of the 50s "Beat" scene.
This is a wonderful book filled with images of the beat coffeehouse hangouts in Greenwich village circa 50s and 60s. It is great to actually be able to view a photo of a poetry reading as it took place in one of these bohemian haunts. We are lucky that the author had the foresight to take photos in the smoke-filled coffeehouses and beat pads. I have a coffeehouse and the book is a great reference to utilize when trying to recapture the spirit and styling of the 50s coffeehouse.