The Beats

One of the striking features of A. Robert Lee’s scholarship has been his persistent reminder that the Beat Generation was about far more than its architects—Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs. Lee has produced an important revision of Beat lore, which now includes the critically neglected contributions of African American authors (Ted Joans, Bob Kaufman), as well as female Beats (Diane di Prima, Anne Waldman). Written with brio and authority, this is a tremendous contribution to Beat Studies. * Douglas Field, University of Manchester *
while The Beats is indeed a substantial contemplation of the whole movement – and a little more besides – it is refreshingly accessible, voiced in a way that is clear, lively and always enthused: the excitement, which Lee felt as a student in a radical new London 50 years ago, has continued to fuel his passion for these alternative interpretations of mid-century America and the countercultural tentacles it sent spilling into the 1960s and beyond -- Simon Warner * European Beat Studies Network *
An impressive and panoramic cartography of Beat creativity. A. Robert Lee charts both iconic texts and their far lesser known (post-) Beat ramifications. Written with an infectious zest and energy, this inclusive survey of an extended Beat Generation offers Whitmanesque multitudes! * Franca Bellarsi, Université libre de Bruxelles *
The Beats: Authorships, Legacies provides a complex view of the Beat Generation from its origins to its on-going influence. A. Robert Lee packs his study with details on core Beat texts and key figures as well as esoteric works and peripheral figures. He makes visible the intricate web of works and associations so that readers can assemble for themselves the meaning and impact of "Beat." Lee taps his long, productive career in American literary studies to unleash a torrent of insight, biography, and criticism in his meticulously organised and widely inclusive book. * Matt Theado, Editor of The Beats: A Literary Reference *
A. Robert Lee's The Beats: Authorships, Legacies is a sweeping testament to the cultural allure and significance of Beat Generation writers. Anyone who wishes to be schooled in their complex art and lives would be wise to begin with this comprehensive overview of Beat literature and its post-Beat influence -- written by one of the major critical voices on counterculture poetics. * Nancy M. Grace, Co-editor, Journal of Beat Studies *
Written with energy and insight, The Beats is by far the most engaging and enlightened point of departure for the study of Beat literature and culture that I will have the pleasure of recommending to my undergraduate and postgraduate students in the coming years. -- Rona Cran, University of Birmingham * The ALH Online Review *