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His poems portray him as a sort of selfish but also very self-aware and basically well intentioned character. The change in tone from poem to poem, and that gen

His poems portray him as a sort of selfish but also very self-aware and basically well intentioned character. The change in tone from poem to poem, and that general vibe makes for an interesting read. They seem very honest. It is interesting that Wikipedia describes him as a Hippy. I somehow got it into my head that he was the last beatnik. But, I can’t find any support for this theory in a quick googling, and I’m pretty bad at literature. So, I wonder where I stumbled across that idea.

_yb2s 2y ago
> I somehow got it into my head that he was the last beatnik One thousand percent, his general attitude reminds me of Gary Snyder aka Japhy Ryder- of course also a famous beat poet. I think nowadays people don't even know what beatnik means. Although I wouldn't call him the "last beatnik" - he died 40 years ago and a few of the other original beatniks are still around, and even still writing. I'm good friends with a lesser known original beat poet, a very old guy but fun to talk to.
seanicus 2y ago
If he was publishing as far back as the 50's I'm sure he was familiar with the beat writers and probably interacted with them, not to mention his style feels closer to a bridge between the beats and the hippies. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a great document of the transitory era between the two.
_yb2s 2y ago
As an update to my previous comment here is a detailed article I found on Brautigan's complex relationship with the more famous beat poets: https://www.beatdom.com/ginsberg-brautigan/ https://www.beatdom.com/ginsberg-brautigan/ In short, he was there in SF doing poetry readings at the same place and time as Ginsberg, Snyder, etc. -and they were regulars at parties he hosted, but it sounds like he felt socially rejected, bullied, and looked down upon by most of the beat social group, and actively refused both the labels beat and hippie. Still, I agree the label fits both in the ideas in his work, and the time and place in which he wrote them.

_yb2s 2y ago

> I somehow got it into my head that he was the last beatnik One thousand percent, his general attitude reminds me of Gary Snyder aka Japhy Ryder- of course also a famous beat poet. I think nowadays people don't even know what beatnik means. Although I wouldn't call him the "last beatnik" - he died 40 years ago and a few of the other original beatniks are still around, and even still writing. I'm good friends with a lesser known original beat poet, a very old guy but fun to talk to.

seanicus 2y ago

If he was publishing as far back as the 50's I'm sure he was familiar with the beat writers and probably interacted with them, not to mention his style feels closer to a bridge between the beats and the hippies. The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test is a great document of the transitory era between the two.

_yb2s 2y ago

As an update to my previous comment here is a detailed article I found on Brautigan's complex relationship with the more famous beat poets: https://www.beatdom.com/ginsberg-brautigan/ https://www.beatdom.com/ginsberg-brautigan/ In short, he was there in SF doing poetry readings at the same place and time as Ginsberg, Snyder, etc. -and they were regulars at parties he hosted, but it sounds like he felt socially rejected, bullied, and looked down upon by most of the beat social group, and actively refused both the labels beat and hippie. Still, I agree the label fits both in the ideas in his work, and the time and place in which he wrote them.