Naked Angels: The Lives and Literature of the Beat Generation

by John Tytell

Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs―their emergence in the late 1950s as the leading figures of the Beat movement marked one of the most spectacular developments in post-World War II American literature. John Tytell's classic study examines their attempt to redefine a complacent society's notion of sanity and normalcy and to reinvent their own lives through jazz, drugs, and law-breaking, acts that ultimately led to new forms of expression. A fascinating blend of literary and social criticism, history, and biography, Naked Angels is an indispensable introduction to the lives and work of these seminal figures, and an unsurpassed look at the powerful influence they had on the 1960s and beyond.

Genres: Nonfiction, Biography, Poetry, Literary Criticism

288 pages, Paperback

First published February 1, 1976

About the author

Born in Antwerp, Belgium, John Tytell is an American writer and academic. He has been a professor of English at Queens College, City University of New York since 1977. He was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize for his Ezra Pound: The Solitary Volcano (1987), which is also his best known book along with Naked Angels, an early history of the Beats.

Reviews

[Kurt · Rating 3 out of 5]

Half biography, half criticism, insightful in places, absurd in others.

[Chris Schwarzkopf]

Oddly enough, I'm not all that familiar with the Beat writers. Theirs are books that I keep meaning to read, but which keep getting moved down the list in favor of something else. Naked Lunch is the only book from this group that I've read cover to cover, consumed, predictably, during my angst-ridden teenage years. I've only a marginal knowledge of Ginsberg's and Kerouac's writing. This is something I came upon purely at random while browsing the shelves at the main branch of the Toledo library system.
This edition is from 1976, seven years after Kerouac's death, so the, at the time, nearness of the trio and their exploits informs the author's critique of their work. He seems quite in awe of their writing, maybe a bit too much, convinced that it will bring about one of those nebulous, ill-defined "revolutions." Thankfully, he doesn't suger-coat any of the events from the three mens' lives. While I can appreciate some of the experiences in their lives up to the point when this book was written, and the imagery invoked by some of their writing, my final impression is that the three were, at base, dreadful, hateful people, each singularly, and supremely, self-absorbed. In other words, human.

[jm · Rating 2 out of 5]

Didn't make it through this one... I felt I could learn more about them by reading their books.

[Jennifer · Rating 1 out of 5]

I only read this book because the author was my professor. I didn't care much for his book at all.

[Jennifer Kelly · Rating 3 out of 5]

I thought the literary criticism of Kerouac's work was very compelling and enlightening.

[Edwina Book Anaconda · Rating 2 out of 5]

I'd never heard of any of these authors until reading this book.
While reading it, I became curious as to what all the fuss was about "Howl", so I requested a copy from the library. (Howl: Original Draft Facsimile, Transcript & Variant Versions, Fully Annotated by Author, with Contemporaneous Correspondence.)
I have to say that I enjoyed that book much more than this one, which just seemed to go on and on about the various drugs and booze consumed by this trippy trio.
I'm glad that I have, finally, finished it and will be moving it along to a new reader soon.

[Goatboy · Rating 4 out of 5]

Another amazing and fascinating micro-history of mid 20th century America through the lens of 3 beat artists. I do wish Tytell had expanded his Burroughs coverage a bit more, but he does make a pretty convincing case for Kerouac's studied artistry and the way he is (or was at the time of writing) way underappreciated for the thought he put into his craft. Have never really delved into Ginsberg's writing much, but will definitely dig in after this history.

[Peter Wiesen · Rating 5 out of 5]

Finally got to this after sitting on my bookshelf for 30 years. Great analysis of Howl, On the Road, and Naked Lunch in the context of the time, their lives, their careers, the literary landscape, and each other.

[Bernard Iannone · Rating 5 out of 5]

If you’re looking for an all-around introduction to the lives of the Columbia crew and their contributions, as well as ample literary criticism and analysis, this is the book for you.

[Peter Woltemade]

This is mostly a good overview, though Tytell in more than one reference incorrectly locates Desolation Peak in Oregon rather than in Washington State. This is a significant flaw, since Jack Kerouac, who worked as a fire lookout on the peak in the summer of 1956, describes the peak and its surroundings--not least Mount Hozomeen in Canada--at some length in The Dharma Bums, Desolation Angels, and Lonesome Traveler.

[Christine Coletta · Rating 1 out of 5]

Don't read it

[Vernyce · Rating 4 out of 5]

well, you need something about the Beats, and this beats many!

[GK Stritch · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Naked Angels" is beautifully researched. The author applies scholarship, intelligence, and love of subject, without cynicism.

[Amanda Taylor · Rating 2 out of 5]

2.75/5.00

[Allan Cronin · Rating 5 out of 5]

The best introduction to the beats.