'Beat Generation' by Jack Kerouac is a play script that delves into a disjointed conversation over breakfast in Act One, followed by a similar disjointed conversation at a racetrack in Act Two, and a slightly less disjointed conversation about religion and Cowboys in Act Three. The play is described as three acts of stream of consciousness ramblings that may seem to make very little sense to some readers. Despite this, the play reflects a week in Kerouac's life with his friend Neal Cassidy, exploring existential discussions, race tracks, mysticism, and lots of drinking. It presents a statement about real people living and dying the American dream beyond the margins of acceptable culture of the time.
The play is praised for its honesty, plain hipster talking vignettes, and its relevance in exposing the real working-class America. Readers appreciate how the book captures the essence of the Beat Generation, discussing God and spirituality, and showcasing the strong ties between the beats and spiritual questioning. The characters, including Jack Kerouac, Neal Cassidy, Allen Ginsberg, and Gregory Corso, engage in exuberant banter that is enjoyable to read, making it a recommended read for those discovering Kerouac or for those with a deep affinity for his body of work.
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Content warnings include themes of alcoholism, existential angst, and potentially troubling discussions around substance use and gender dynamics.
From The Publisher:
Beat Generation is a play about tension, about friendship, and about karma what it is and how you get it. It begins one fine morning with a few friends, honest laborers some of them, some close to being down-and-out, passing around a bottle of wine. It ends with a kind of satori-like reaffirmation of the power of friendship, of doing good through not doing, and the intrinsic worth of the throw-away little exchanges that make up our lives. Written in 1957, the same year that On the Road was first published, and set in 1953, Beat Generation portrays an authentic and alternate 1950s America. Kerouac's characters are working-class men and women a step away from vagrants, but not a big step. Their dialogue positively sings, suggesting jazz riffs in their rhythm and content, and Kerouac, like a master composer, arranges it to magical effect. Here is the heart and soul of the beat mentality, the zeitgeist that blossomed over the decades and eventually culminated in the counter-culture of 1960s America. It's a spirit that still lives.
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