Beatniks were first established and focused in Greenwhich Village in New York City. Gatherings were often held in Washington Square Park where folk songs, readings and open discussions were held. The Beatnik movement was also largely focused in San Francisco California, where famous Beat poet Lawrence Ferlinghetti opened a bookstore called “The City Lights”. This understated store served as a center for beatniks to congregate in the Bay Area (Matterson, 2). The Beatnik movement also reached the Pacific Northwest in Washington and Oregon, specifically Reed College, a liberal arts undergraduate school renowned for attracting alternative and literature loving students.
The two original founders of the Beatnik generation met at Columbia University in the early 1940’s. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, two major names recognizable in literature today, formed the core of the initial Beatnik group. Several other initial members include Lucien Carr, John Clellon Holmes, Neal Cassidy and Gregory Corso (Campbell, 17). Despite all of their anti-establishment and anti-academy ideals, these Beatniks were all well educated and generally from middle class backgrounds. Kerouac and Ginsberg spent their time in New York City, in bars and coffee shops reading, writing and spreading the ideals that would later define an entire generation.
In 1948 Jack Kerouac coined the term Beat Generation to characterize the then extended group of perceived underground anti-conformist youth in New York City. The adjective “beat” could colloquially mean tired or beaten down, however Kerouac re-appropriated this image and association, altering the meaning to include connotations of “upbeat” and “beatific” and the musical association, typically with jazz, of “being on beat”. Kerouac wanted the Beat Generation to convey “a weariness of all forms, all the conventions” (Lawlor, 13). He wanted the name to convey concepts of jazz, poetry and the Beatnik’s general anti-conformist ideals.
The two original founders of the Beatnik generation met at Columbia University in the early 1940’s. Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, two major names recognizable in literature today, formed the core of the initial Beatnik group. Several other initial members include Lucien Carr, John Clellon Holmes, Neal Cassidy and Gregory Corso (Campbell, 17). Despite all of their anti-establishment and anti-academy ideals, these Beatniks were all well educated and generally from middle class backgrounds. Kerouac and Ginsberg spent their time in New York City, in bars and coffee shops reading, writing and spreading the ideals that would later define an entire generation.
In 1948 Jack Kerouac coined the term Beat Generation to characterize the then extended group of perceived underground anti-conformist youth in New York City. The adjective “beat” could colloquially mean tired or beaten down, however Kerouac re-appropriated this image and association, altering the meaning to include connotations of “upbeat” and “beatific” and the musical association, typically with jazz, of “being on beat”. Kerouac wanted the Beat Generation to convey “a weariness of all forms, all the conventions” (Lawlor, 13). He wanted the name to convey concepts of jazz, poetry and the Beatnik’s general anti-conformist ideals.
The originators of the Beat Generation such as Ginsberg and Kerouac, claimed that romantic poets such as Percy Bysshe and William Blake heavily influenced their interest in literature (Lee, 21). Other renowned authors such as David Henry Thoreau significantly influenced Beat ideals, and Beatnik’s can in fact be accredited for ascending Thoreau’s famous novel, “Walden” to the status it holds in academia today. Allen Ginsberg cites Walt Whitman as one of the Beat Generations greatest inspirations while Aldous Huxley’s, “The Doors of Perception” heavily influenced the Beat Generations view on drugs (Lee, 25). Their writing techniques emanated many surrealist and absurdist tendencies, as opposed to the linear and rigid writing styles prior to the Beatnik era. They rejected the neo-classical formism of famous authors such as T.S. Elliot and argued that he was simply an “elitist and pretentious author” (Lee, 21). Additionally, the American Transcendental Movement of the nineteenth century was a powerful inspiration for the confrontational politics of Beatniks. Several other notable authors that influence Beatnik Literature were, Edgar Allen Poe, Herman Melville and Emily Dickenson (Lee, 25).
Silent Black and White Video Clips of Beats (Kerouac & Ginsberg) in NYC