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The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats
David Stephen Calonne
€ 118.94
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Description for The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats
Hardback. .
The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats is the first comprehensive study to explore the role of esoteric, occult, alchemical, shamanistic, mystical and magical traditions in the work of eleven major Beat authors. The opening chapter discusses Kenneth Rexroth and Robert Duncan as predecessors and important influences on the spiritual orientation of the Beats. David Stephen Calonne draws comparisons throughout the book between various approaches individual Beat writers took regarding sacred experience - for example, Burroughs had significant objections to Buddhist philosophy, while Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac both devoted considerable time to studying Buddhist history and texts. This book also focuses on authors who have traditionally been neglected in Beat Studies - Diane di Prima, Bob Kaufman, Philip Lamantia and Philip Whalen. In addition, several understudied work such as Gregory Corso's 'The Geometric Poem' - inspired by Corso's deep engagement with ancient Egyptian thought - are given close attention. Calonne introduces important themes from the history of heterodoxy - from Gnosticism, Manicheanism and Ismailism to Theosophy and Tarot - and demonstrates how inextricably these ideas shaped the Beat literary imagination.
Product Details
Publisher
Cambridge University Press
Format
Hardback
Publication date
2017
Condition
New
Weight
28g
Number of Pages
244
Place of Publication
Cambridge, United Kingdom
ISBN
9781108416450
SKU
V9781108416450
Shipping Time
Usually ships in 4 to 8 working days
Ref
99-1
About David Stephen Calonne
David Stephen Calonne is the author of William Saroyan: My Real Work Is Being (1983), Bebop Buddhist Ecstasy: Saroyan's Influence on Kerouac and the Beats (2010), with an Introduction by Lawrence Ferlinghetti; and literary biographies of Charles Bukowski and Henry Miller. He has also edited several volumes of fiction and essays by Bukowski. Calonne has lectured at the European University in Florence; Columbia University, New York; University of California, Berkeley; Harvard University, Massachusetts; and the University of Oxford, and has taught at the University of Texas, the University of Michigan and the University of Chicago. He presently lives in Ann Arbor and teaches at Eastern Michigan University.
Reviews for The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats
'The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats is a far-ranging, meticulous study of 11 Beat writers' investigations of heterodox religious traditions across several cultures. ... a fascinating, demanding read that should inspire deeper study, whether in particular realms of theological speculation, the archive of Beat works, or their combination.' David LeHardy Sweet, American Literary History 'Calonne's comprehensive, energetic book explores this search in relation to the lives and works of the Beats. It also, to an extent, embodies it: in its extensive range of focus and level of detail ...' Rona Cran, Modern Language Review 'The Spiritual Imagination of the Beats is a far-ranging, meticulous study of 11 Beat writers' investigations of heterodox religious traditions across several cultures. ... a fascinating, demanding read that should inspire deeper study, whether in particular realms of theological speculation, the archive of Beat works, or their combination.' David LeHardy Sweet, American Literary History 'Calonne's comprehensive, energetic book explores this search in relation to the lives and works of the Beats. It also, to an extent, embodies it: in its extensive range of focus and level of detail ...' Rona Cran, Modern Language Review