''Beat Generation'' is a play written by

Jack Kerouac Jean-Louis Lebris de Kérouac (; March 12, 1922 – October 21, 1969), known as Jack Kerouac, was an American novelist and poet who, alongside William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, was a pioneer of the Beat Generation. Of French-Canadian a ...

upon returning home to Florida after his seminal work ''

On the Road ''On the Road'' is a 1957 novel by American writer Jack Kerouac, based on the travels of Kerouac and his friends across the United States. It is considered a defining work of the postwar Beat and Counterculture generations, with its protagonis ...

'' had been published in 1957.

Gerald Nicosia Gerald Nicosia (born November 18, 1949, in Berwyn, Illinois) is an American author, poet, journalist, interviewer, and literary critic. He is based in Knoxville, Tennessee. About Nicosia received a B.A. and an M.A. in English and American Lite ...

, a Kerouac biographer and family friend has said that theatre producer Leo Gavin suggested that Kerouac should write a play; the outcome being ''Beat Generation''. It was rejected by theatre companies and was shelved in warehouse storage until being rediscovered in a New Jersey warehouse in 2005. A part of ''Beat Generation'' went on to provide the script for the 1959 film ''

Pull My Daisy ''Pull My Daisy'' is a 1959 American short film directed by Robert Frank and Alfred Leslie, and adapted by Jack Kerouac from the third act of his play, '' Beat Generation''. Kerouac also provided improvised narration. It features poets Allen ...

'', which starred Allen Ginsberg,

Peter Orlovsky Peter Anton Orlovsky (July 8, 1933 – May 30, 2010) was an American poet and actor. He was the long-time partner of Allen Ginsberg. Early life and career Orlovsky was born in the Lower East Side of New York City, the son of Katherine (née ...

, Gregory Corso, Larry Rivers,

Alice Neel Alice Neel (January 28, 1900 – October 13, 1984) was an American visual artist, who was known for her portraits depicting friends, family, lovers, poets, artists, and strangers. Her paintings have an expressionistic use of line and color, psyc ...

, David Amram, Richard Bellamy and

Delphine Seyrig Delphine Claire Beltiane Seyrig (; 10 April 1932 – 15 October 1990) was a Lebanese-born French actress and film director. She came to prominence in Alain Resnais's 1961 film ''Last Year at Marienbad'', and later acted in films by Francois ...

. It was named after the poem "

" by Kerouac, Ginsberg and

Neal Cassady Neal Leon Cassady (February 8, 1926 – February 4, 1968) was a major figure of the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the psychedelic and counterculture movements of the 1960s. He was prominently featured as himself in the "scroll" (first d ...

. Kerouac provided improvised narration to the film. Since then excerpts have appeared in ''

Best Life Magazine Best or The Best may refer to: People * Best (surname), people with the surname Best * Best (footballer, born 1968), retired Portuguese footballer Companies and organizations * Best & Co., an 1879–1971 clothing chain * Best Lock Corporation ...

'' (July 2005), and the play has been published by Thunders Mouth Press. ''Beat Generation'' received its world premiere as part of the 2012 Jack Kerouac Literary Festival from October 10–14 in Kerouac's hometown of Lowell, Massachusetts. It was announced the play would be presented in a staged reading format by Merrimack Repertory Theatre and the University of Massachusetts Lowell.

References

External links

''Guardian Newspaper'' article on the re-emergence of ''Beat Generation''
Works by Jack Kerouac American plays adapted into films {{2000s-play-stub