What It Is—Whence It Came
February, 1958
The term Beat Generation is an apt coinage to characterize the angry, roving youngsters whom writers like Kerouac have caught in print. But beat is a national phenomenon which knows no barriers of age—or economic or social status. From the dope-addicted frigid cat to the baby-faced imitator wistfully wishing he were vicious, the beat attitude infiltrates all levels of our society. It is examined here by three writers: Herbert Gold analyzes it; Sam Boal takes us to an upper-class beat party in Ne...
