Reviews for The Portable Beat Reader

The average rating for The Portable Beat Reader based on 28 reviews is 3.8214285714286 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2008-05-06 00:00:00 John C Wilt I brought it with me to New York in 1994 to The Beat Writers' Conference @ NYU. I was still leaking breast milk. I touched knees with Allen Ginsberg while he rambled on and signed his name next to 'America'. Fuck the Government. I am a romantic like that.

Review # 2 was written on 2012-09-29 00:00:00 Steven Rohe I read this book when I was 16, and by 17, I was off on an adventure that lasted until I was 35. I still, to this day, long for freedom and for the open road. Of a childish life of multiple romances and endless celebration from town to town, countryside to countryside. Thank you Ginsberg. Thank you Kerouac. Thank you Thank you, William S. Burroughs. Xoxo

Review # 3 was written on 2020-04-23 00:00:00 Laura Kincaid I wouldn't normally pick up a book like this but my masters program required it so boom. Did it. Nothing great. Just meh. Not my style of writing I guess.

Review # 4 was written on 2014-11-06 00:00:00 John Harlow Marking this as read because half is more than enough.

Review # 5 was written on 2018-01-11 00:00:00 Samuel Post Ann Charters' assemblage of Beat/Gen. personalities and the best of their poetry/bop prosody is fine fettle casting an era of divergence from post-war/Cold War ennui and set the stage for 60's/70's upheaval war protest that split the country leading eventually to our present day polarization and identity politics quagmire. We learn that Beat lit was a lot more than just "Howl" and "On The Road" and "Naked Lunch" even if those remain the pillars of the so-called movement. Beyond the obvious "beats" aspect of rap & hip hop culture there seems to me verisimilar root parallels to Beat culture (there are some rather marked dissimilarities too - Beats are universally pacifists while Rap often glorifies violence) - that street level make it personal freedom to create and "represent" the everyman/woman experience of authenticity - Punk too. It's predominately oral/in-yer-face realities laced w/beats blown or laid down electronic to accompany lyrical rhyme/assonance of street slang cool. Things cycle, what's good gets repurposed/shoved around, then/when re-found. It's all hood!

Review # 6 was written on 2011-08-23 00:00:00 Amanda Atkins Poets, drug addicts, criminals, alcoholics, hedonists, ne'er-do-wells, agitators, college dropouts, social revolutionaries; the Beats were the voice of the Lost Generation born (mostly) between two world wars, looking for fresh artistic outlets and ideas away from those approved by contemporary academe. They found them.

Review # 7 was written on 2008-03-03 00:00:00 Marco Hartog A beautiful, wide swath of Beat goodness. C'mon y'all, they only changed the world.

Review # 8 was written on 2020-09-08 00:00:00 Raymond Prior This was the third time I read this anthology and I've finally grown enough as a human to be over it. Some take aways: If they a white man who wrote as a Beat, probably super entitled. Highly recommend to skip. If they are any of the following, consider not skipping: ~Carolyn Cassidy ~Gregory Corso ~Diane DiPrima ~Lawrence Ferlinghetti ~Joyce Johnson ~Jan Kerouac ~Ken Kesey (esp. for fans of repulsive realism, although it feels more anti-femme when a man writes it) This was the third time I read this anthology and I've finally grown enough as a human to be over it. Some take aways: If they a white man who wrote as a Beat, probably super entitled. Highly recommend to skip. If they are any of the following, consider not skipping: ~Carolyn Cassidy ~Gregory Corso ~Diane DiPrima ~Lawrence Ferlinghetti ~Joyce Johnson ~Jan Kerouac ~Ken Kesey (esp. for fans of repulsive realism, although it feels more anti-femme when a man writes it)

Review # 9 was written on 2018-11-15 00:00:00 George Allen This is a very decent sampler of that movement known as Beat. This collection might not be the best source for answers to the questions, such as "What is Beat?", and "Who were the Beats?", as most of the offerings are excerpts from novels and poems. Reflective slices from essays to the above questions are few, but there is a smattering. The Alan Watts contribution presents a divergent strand which parenthesizes how diverse this Portable assemblage really is. The traditional names are present: Kerouac, Ginsberg etc. But others are included, such as Mailer and his intriguing "White Negro", which surprise as well as delight, if only for the apparent whimsy of a scattered inclusion. Did this collection help me understand the "Beat Movement" better? I believe so. What do I understand about it? I was surprised at the rather low quality of writing, frankly. Maybe the choice of excerpts stands partly to blame, but I suspect not. In my not-so-humble opinion Burroughs was one of the few collected in this volume who could actually write with discipline, distinction, and intelligent depth. The sample taken from his Junky is quite intriguing. Its material feels fresh, even today. Kerouac places second'but a distant second. The elemental misogyny of the Beats also oozes through these pages. Many of them are devoted to eulogizing that eternal infant, Neal Cassady, who spent much of his time bagging babes and just having a good time. The eulogy becomes superficial and strained after a bit, regardless of the serried many who ascend the podium to continue the praise. I also was taken by how much of the Beat Movement was a poetry movement. I was also taken by how much of it I frankly couldn't "dig". Ginsberg's Howl and Sunflower Sutra were notable exceptions. Literary pedigree seemed more an adornment for the Beats than actual inspiration. Sure, literary references scatter themselves throughout the pages, but so does music references, jazz, and of course ol' Charlie Parker. Choice of word mattered much less than how you tapped it out. Watt is probably right that Beat is basically another nouveau, constructed religion; albeit one which searches for grace among the lower, modern classes. He outs that connection with Christianity. Beat's commitment against conformism of the 50s reminds a reader how important maintaining personal room to maneuver for expression in society should be if one is to remain human, as well as recognizing the freedom & existence of fellow humans. Even the Square had an important place in a Beat world. Put aside the drugs and the mindless debauchery, the Beats pointed toward the necessity for another human right: the right to dig someone else, and the right to be, in turn, dug by someone. Almost everything else beyond this elemental principle has been purloined, scripted, and co-opted ad nauseam by later teen cinema.

Review # 10 was written on 2018-09-06 00:00:00 Fabian Garcia Sanchez This is a book I have had on the shelf for many, many years, but finally got around to starting to read. I had read On the Road earlier this year, so I thought I might find this one worth the read. This book is primarily designed for literature classes, or it sets up that way. You get a smattering of what these men and women wrote, but clearly not the whole thing. Still, even with what was presented, some of it was good, particularly the early poetry of Ginsberg. Yet, I found myself not really i This is a book I have had on the shelf for many, many years, but finally got around to starting to read. I had read On the Road earlier this year, so I thought I might find this one worth the read. This book is primarily designed for literature classes, or it sets up that way. You get a smattering of what these men and women wrote, but clearly not the whole thing. Still, even with what was presented, some of it was good, particularly the early poetry of Ginsberg. Yet, I found myself not really interested in much of this work. I get the themes of the early "founders" of young men who were trying to find some semblance of meaning and life in the post-war America. While America appeared triumphant, there was still discontentment, and the "Beat Generation" gave that voice. The literature covers themes such as drug use, homosexuality, abortion, crime, drinking...so clearly not something that would be studied a lot in a conservative setting (granted, this is not that much different than literature from any other era). Still, it wasn't quite my thing, or certainly so much in a condensed form. If you are taking a literature class surveying Beat Literature, this is for you...otherwise, better off sticking to the main texts.

Review # 11 was written on 2020-12-29 00:00:00 Heather Nolan Rereading, rather than reading. Plus, portable readers are meant to be dipped into and looked through with an eye toward a particular poem, section, fragment, or writer. Naturally, the top three Beat writers are in the first section of this book, Ginsberg, Kerouac, and Burroughs -- love 'em, hate 'em or burn bongos in effigies at midnight, they made their mark on American culture, and continue to do so -- from new generation to new generation. The poet and confidant of the three, Corso is also in Rereading, rather than reading. Plus, portable readers are meant to be dipped into and looked through with an eye toward a particular poem, section, fragment, or writer.

Review # 12 was written on 2019-06-26 00:00:00 Jeffrey Robinson One of the all-time powerful reads of my youth. I still own the same tattered copy I bought as a teenager during the early '90s. This era of literature shaped many things in my young world. This book was particularly resourceful for me because it allowed me to discover the not-so prominent writers from the Beat era. It also helped instill the power of individuality, and how to go through life with an open mind and an open heart. Some of the writers have aged better for me than others, but I will One of the all-time powerful reads of my youth. I still own the same tattered copy I bought as a teenager during the early '90s. This era of literature shaped many things in my young world. This book was particularly resourceful for me because it allowed me to discover the not-so prominent writers from the Beat era. It also helped instill the power of individuality, and how to go through life with an open mind and an open heart. Some of the writers have aged better for me than others, but I will always cherish the day I discovered writers like Gary Snyder, and poems like Ginsberg's "Howl."

Review # 13 was written on 2020-04-20 00:00:00 Kelvin Pullman Visionary confessional stream-of-conscious autobiographical prose from every writer associated with the Beat Movement that arises in American literature in the 1940s and with final statements from the 1970s and maybe the 1980s. I read this in jail, which is just how such collection in Beat style should be read. I love William Burroughs and Allen Ginsburg and all the other associated talents more than ever. This book is a one stop shop for The Beats, who are surely the prelude, the build up pattern, to the Rock And Roll generation.

Review # 14 was written on 2020-08-10 00:00:00 Jerry Marino Been dipping in and out of this for a long while now, and it's a fascinating and enjoyable insight into an era that helped form and inform current American (and wider) literature. I'll give it a few weeks and I'll be back, re-reading those pieces I've already re-read a number of times. In the meantime, I've added a good few authors to my list of "check-em-outs."

Review # 15 was written on 2020-12-04 00:00:00 Daniel Garza "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked," I've been reciting this Allen Ginsberg "Howl" opener aloud and in my head over and over throughout reading this book. That habit is going to stick. This is the Beat Generation Bible. Spanning east coast to west and everything in between, it's a time capsule containing the works of nearly 40 authors, both well known (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Cassady and Burroughs) and lesser (LeRoi Jones and Diane diPrima, whom I d "I saw the best minds of my generation destroyed by madness, starving hysterical naked," I've been reciting this Allen Ginsberg "Howl" opener aloud and in my head over and over throughout reading this book. That habit is going to stick. This is the Beat Generation Bible. Spanning east coast to west and everything in between, it's a time capsule containing the works of nearly 40 authors, both well known (Kerouac, Ginsberg, Cassady and Burroughs) and lesser (LeRoi Jones and Diane diPrima, whom I discovered on the day of her passing). During a time when the mainstream media seems to have only one or two messages to share with the masses, this was a refreshing and irreverent palette cleanser and a reminder that one can and should form their own nuanced, complicated and unique opinions. As Philip Whalen recognized, it is "possible for a poem to be its own shape and size".

Review # 16 was written on 2017-12-12 00:00:00 Joseph Kroepil A really nice sampling of "beat" literature! Sort of like a greatest hits compilation! Parts 1-3 were full of writings that I love, and that were wonderful to revisit! I especially enjoyed reading the "Joan Anderson" piece! Part 4 fell pretty flat for me, as did part 6 and the appendix. But Part 5 was my joy! The writings in it gave me the feeling of the people on the periphery of the Beats - the children, lovers, spouses, etc.! I really glorify and romanticize many of the Beat authors and literature, and this section grounded me a bit, showing some of the real consequences of that lifestyle and movement. Strong stuff. And strong book!

Review # 17 was written on 2019-05-02 00:00:00 Michael Bujanda For those who enjoy the Beat writers, Ann Charters compiled an accessible collection of their work. What I enjoy - the book remains on my bookshelf - is reading the poetry and prose of the lesser known Beats.

Review # 18 was written on 2017-08-01 00:00:00 Harchi Farid Question: i just read about a reading list that Ginsberg provided Cassady to further his writing. Has anyone ever seen such a thing?

Review # 19 was written on 2018-04-04 00:00:00 Ren� Gagnon you can't have a Beat reader, have a "San Francisco Renaissance" section and not have Kenneth Patchen

Review # 20 was written on 2018-07-02 00:00:00 Wolfgang Lewioda The sea darkens the voices of the wild ducks are faintly white

Review # 21 was written on 2020-03-04 00:00:00 Kariem Ramadan Great sampler of the writings of the Beat generation. It has a lot of good work, but some of the selections are a bit stingy and finding some of the original works is easier said than done.

Review # 22 was written on 2020-11-21 00:00:00 Frank Lawson We followed this and even stayed at the Chelsea Hotel, New York.

Review # 23 was written on 2017-03-12 00:00:00 Mary Maginley It took me a long time to get through this but it was an excellent review of the many beat poets and how they were all connected. I enjoyed their later works more than their early works because they seemed more experienced and wise about life. Maybe it's because I'm old now too. I gave it only 3 stars because beat composition is not my favorite - not because the book itself wasn't well done. The author did an excellent job of reviewing each writer - their history, works, etc - before each section.

Review # 24 was written on 2008-03-25 00:00:00 Jeff Edelstein Ann Charters is one of the main authorities on the Beat Generation, and in this book, an anthology of texts by and about the Beats, Charters traces the emergence and growth of this youth movement from the late 1940s and 1950s to the late eighties, at which time some of the authors, seen as oppositional when they first appeared, had finally become part of the American literary canon. The book begins with the texts one would expect to see: passages from Jack Kerouac's On the Road, William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch, Allen Ginsberg's "Howl," and poems by West Coast writers like Lawrence Ferlinghetti, Michael McClure, Philip Whalen and Gary Snyder. What one may not have expected was to find work by poets like Bob Dylan, who does have many literary themes and approaches in common with the central Beat writers (but in addition to Dylan, Charters might also have included work by Jim Carroll, an important poet and diarist whose work reflects many of the same techniques employed by writers like Kerouac and Burroughs). Moreover, Charters includes work by many women writers, which does something to balance the Beat canon, typically dominated by male writers. In addition to poetry by Anne Waldman and Diane di Prima, Charters includes memoirs both by Carolyn Cassady (an ex-wife of Neal Cassady) and Joyce Johnson (romantically linked with Jack Kerouac for a time). Among the really useful inclusions in this book are Kerouac's "Essentials of Spontaneous Prose," "Belief and Technique For Modern Prose," Ken Kesey's essay on Neal Cassady's death, and Norman Mailer's terrific essay on hipsters and Beats, "The White Negro."

Review # 25 was written on 2017-02-18 00:00:00 Richard Trevino Peace's Red Riding quarter jumps forward three years, this time following the screwed up lives of half-decent police officer Bob Fraser, and burned out journalist Jack Whitehead. Both are dangerously obsessed with Chapeltown prostitutes, and are sucked into an investigation into the Yorkshire Ripper's slaughter of these women. Both men are dangerously on the edge, and the plot follows the hollow, desperate plummet of their lives as events overwhelm them, and the extent of the corruption of West Yorkshire police force becomes clearer. Like 1974, this is brutal, compelling stuff, but not for the faint of heart, nor those enamoured with happy endings

Review # 26 was written on 2008-02-03 00:00:00 John Warren I read about 1/2 of this book in November, while I was on my trip to Rome, and I really enjoyed it, but found some of the featured authors a bit plodding. And yet, I picked it up to fill in some gaps in my historical knowledge of the movements of that period and some history of the city I live in (San Francisco), and influences to my social circles and lifestyle. I had no idea how much of an influence this small group of notable "Beats" had on society and later generations. I remember watching cartoons that featured Beatniks, and seeing Audrey Hepburn in Funny Face, as a caricature of a Beatnik (or Beat's girlfriend, as they were a male-dominant group, with women mostly in the side-lines). My sister, only 6 years my junior, had no knowledge of City Lights Bookstore in San Francisco; Couldn't even recall having heard of Beatniks, Beats, Beat Poetry, many/any of the major authors/poets, or Beat *anything* when she moved to San Francisco! Shocking! Although in retrospect, my knowledge was hardly rich with understanding, even though I'd read some Burroughs, knew of Kerouac and On the Road, Ginsberg and Howl. I appreciate this anthology because Ann Charters does a great job of positioning the works, the sentiments and feelings in relation to history. Coming from only a rudimentary knowledge of the era and the motivation of the Beats, it's helpful to have the stories and poems skillfully placed alongside the back-stories of the people involved and the times they lived in. This book reminds me of the best parts of evaluating writing in a college classroom - an adept, knowledgeable guide can make a huge difference to understand, or better, *liking* a piece. While I may have been predisposed to liking Beat writing because of it's influence to my life and culture, I very much believe Ann Charter's book has given me much deeper appreciation and stronger liking for the works I've read in this anthology so far.

Review # 27 was written on 2009-03-04 00:00:00 Rexo Otto I wasn't sure how to rate this book. It was a well edited volume, I'm just not crazy about the raw material. However, having published on Kerouac, I know feel better having more Beat under my belt. And it was nice not to have to read these works in their entirety. That's not to say I didn't enjoy any of them. I really love Ginsberg's poetry, and I'd never read Kaddish before. There were other good pieces as well, but there were also several that really didn't deserve to be published. Because part of the Beat movement was the democratization of art, Kerouac, Ginsberg, and others would often urge their friends to write and most of what these friends wrote is very blah in my opinion. I think I enjoyed the three essays on the Beats by Mailer, Watts, and Holmes at the end of the book the most. And though the Beats do annoy me, mostly because I'm not particularly interested in reading about drug trips and the like, a show I've started watching has given me perspective that makes me better appreciate the social forces they were up against. The show is Mad Men and follows ad execs in the 50s and their stifling suburban lifestyles. It makes the Beats feel like a real breath of fresh air.

Review # 28 was written on 2008-06-26 00:00:00 Peaches Mount If memory serves me, I probably bought this book when I was 19 or 20 years old. I read several selections at the time, largely from authors or poets I already had interested in, and then this book sat on my shelf for a number of years. Fast forward to summer vacation 2008, and wanting something to pass the time. Being over 600 pages, it takes quite a bit of time to get through, but by in large the gems highlighted are truly worth your time. The book is divided into three chronological sections, essentially amounting to the founders, the coming of age of the 'Beat generation', and later reflections. The introductions preceding each section sets the stage and offer interesting bits of history to accompany your reading. Naturally not everything can be Ginsburg's "Howl" or Corso's "Marriage", but it's a pretty thorough sampling of this literary movement. What I found most interesting were the autobiographical works by the wives of the writers written later in their lives, which is included in the last section. That part in particular is worth a read, especially if you feel you've already experienced all you need to concerning Beat writers.