Hard to be a saint in the city : the spiritual vision of the Beats / edited with an introduction by Robert Inchausti.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

John Louis Haney Fund.

Inchausti, Robert, 1952- editor.

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Literature and spiritualism.

History.

Beats (Persons).

Philosophy.

United States.

Beats (Persons)--Philosophy.

Literature and spiritualism--United States--History--20th century.

Genre:

History.

Physical Description:

vi, 195 pages ; 22 cm

Edition:

First edition.

Place of Publication:

Boulder : Shambhala, 2017.

Summary:

"An exploration of Beat spirituality--seen through excerpts from the writings of the seminal writers of Beat Generation themselves. The Beat writers stand out as prophets who made a valiant effort to speak the truth in the face of the establishment values of the American post-WWII period, and the fact that so much of their work has stood the test of time is testimony to their importance. The Beat movement was at heart, according to Robert Inchausti, a spiritual enterprise, and the writings compiled in this anthology provide convincing evidence for that claim. Using his broad knowledge of Beat literature, he has created this treasury excerpts from the writings of such figures as Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs, but also of lesser-known Beatniks--arranged in a way that gives a shape and significance to their spiritual quest. Included are Kerouac's dialogues with Ginsberg and Burroughs on writing as a form of religious resistance and revelation, along with accounts of their experiments with psychedelics and visionary practices, which will then include their shared thoughts on meditation and psychedelic experimentation as visionary practices. This is considerably more than a collection of Beat spiritual writings. It's a kind of introduction to Beat spirituality, presented systematically in the Beats' own words"-- Provided by publisher.

Contents:

Moloch Whose Eyes Are a Thousand Blind Windows: How Do the Beats See the Spirit of Our Age?

Universe Is the Messiah: What is the Beat Responce to the Spirit of Our Age

After Every Civilization Runs Its Course, There Is a Return to Mystery: Who Were the Beats?

Buddha Reborn as Shakespeare: Who Was Jack Kerouac?

Meditation Looks Inward, Poetry Holds Forth: Is There a Beat Way of Writing?

Belief and Technique for Modern Prose: What is Bop Spontaneous Prose?

Absorb All Beautiful Systems to Further Systemlessness: Is There a Beat Way of Knowing?

A Warm Idea for the Cool Void: How Do the Beats Concieve of the Divine?

Listening to the Silence inside the Illusion of the World: Are There Beat Spiritual Practices?

Spontaneous Affirmations of the Fellaheen: Where Can We See the New Consciousness?

Sympathetic Magic of Paleolithic Alters: Why Are the Beats Interested in Prehistory?

Chronicles of Choiceless Awareness: Is There a Beat Way of Living?.

Notes:

Includes bibliographical references (pages 187-195).

Local Notes:

Acquired for the Penn Libraries with assistance from the John Louis Haney Fund.

ISBN:

9781611804171

1611804175

OCLC:

994206025

Publisher Number:

99980298286