The Portable Beat Reader (Penguin Classics)

Product Description

Beginning in the late 1940's, American literature discovered a four-letter word, and the word was "beat." Beat as in poverty and beatitude, ecstasy and exile. Beat was Jack Kerouac touring the American road in prose as fast and reckless as a V-8 Chevy. It was the junk-sick surrealism of William Burroughs; the wild, Whitmanesque poetry of Allen Ginsberg; and the lumberjack Zen of Gary Snyder.

The Portable Beat Reader collects the most significant writing of these and fellow members (and spiritual descendants) of the Beat Generation, including Neal Cassady, Gregory Corso, Diane di Prima, Bob Dylan, Leroi Jones, and Michael McClure. In poetry, fiction, essays, song lyrics, letters, and memoirs, it captures the triumphant rudeness, energy, and exhilaration of a movement that swept through American letters with hurricane force.

For more than seventy years, Penguin has been the leading publisher of classic literature in the English-speaking world. With more than 1,700 titles, Penguin Classics represents a global bookshelf of the best works throughout history and across genres and disciplines. Readers trust the series to provide authoritative texts enhanced by introductions and notes by distinguished scholars and contemporary authors, as well as up-to-date translations by award-winning translators.

Top Reviews

A Fun Book About Poets Of The '50s And '60s
by mpage (5 out of 5 stars)
June 9, 2018

Perhaps the best book for anyone who's a fan of the beat generation. I got this for my mother as a birthday present and did she love it. While a great deal of the writers mentioned in the book are no longer with us, they are best remembered for their works other than those who have survived that period. One of whom, Ed Saunders of The Fugs I actually met near the close of the century when he visited the city of Plainfield which was a thrill to say the least. This was actually a year or two after the passing of Allen Ginsberg one poet that should never be left out in any book regarding that time period. He is indeed included here besides Kerouac, Cassidy among others. One should never be without a book such as this. Highly recommended.
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very enjoyable
by YourMum (4 out of 5 stars)
May 16, 2018

Amazing Title! Hardback was hard to find for me locally.

Great Read!

Introduction only, not very concise.
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Excellent Compilation
by francis lemfield (5 out of 5 stars)
November 25, 2013

This is an excellent compilation. I know Ms. Charters from a previous work of hers, a biography of Jack Kerouac, and she is eminently qualified to write such a book. I found of particular interest examples of Beat writers who were not of the very core. One would think that such people existed, but I had never been made privy of them, and here they were in abundance. A delight and a treat.
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Required but...
by Alex Chavez (5 out of 5 stars)
June 8, 2013

I needed this book for a Beat literature and religion course dealing with Buddhism and a few others. After reading a few stories and poems from the wide variety of authors featured I quickly loved this book. Even though the semester is over now I'm still going through it and reading poems by Snyder, Whalen, and various others. Highly recommended if you already enjoy the works of the big 3 (Kerouac, Burroughs, & Ginsberg).
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Excellent writing
by Audrey Lent (5 out of 5 stars)
April 15, 2018

The most comprehensive collection of Beat writing that I have ever come across.
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Great introduction to Beat literature
by Torino (5 out of 5 stars)
June 15, 2014

Very enjoyable selection of Beat literature. Not only do you get a sampling of their writing, but also background information on how they lived through some personal essays. In particular, for me, was Ken Kesey's reaction to Neil Cassady's tragic death. But more important is being introduced to lesser Beat celebrities like Leroi Jones, Gary Snyder, and Diane di Prima. Quite a selection of writings, and the author does the reader service by providing historical references to the Beat's milieu. With the spate of Beat movies lately, this is a good start to explore their literature.
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Yes it is
by nicole (4 out of 5 stars)
May 16, 2013

Yes this is worth the read. If you want to know about the "Beat" writers or should I say poets because most of the are poets. This book is the place to begin.
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Great introduction
by James Francis (4 out of 5 stars)
March 3, 2011

Though I am an English major, I wasn't very familiar with the "Beat Generation" writers. I became interested following a conversation with my son regarding his doctoral disssertation. We both now own copies of this reader, and I find it to be a good introduction to a group of writers who stood out against the grain in their time. I particularly enjoyed the general introduction and the subsequent introductions, as they set a good backgroud against which I could understand the writing.

Highly recommended.
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Five Stars
by WilliamTravis (5 out of 5 stars)
December 8, 2017

An excellent anthology. Works well as an introductory text.
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Five Stars
by Timbo Slice (5 out of 5 stars)
February 18, 2015

Love the beats.

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