Welcome to the second edition of anthologica fragorum (anthology of fragx), an online publication highlighting work found on the creative writing workshop website, http://www.fragx.com.

Kerouac, Ginsberg, Cassady, and Burroughs - mid 1940's - Manhattan's Columbia University - go study or something, you losers! Later comes Huncke and Corso, and in San Fran, they added a few more. How could such an influential literary genre be born from these guys? Interesting question, interesting times.

If you haven't guessed by now, this edition of anthologica is centered on 'beat' poetry, or more accurately, a fragx version of 'beat'. Presented here in its finest non-conformity, its rebellious attitude, it's portrayal of everyday cultural, sexual, and political existence, you'll find an eerie similarity between what is being produced today on fragx, and what was being offered as revolutionary with the beats.

In my humble opinion, the beat poets pretty much sucked buttocks, but many readers are still moved today by the anger, the brashness, the utter disregard for artistic conformity, and perhaps most importantly, their enormous creative charge, regardless of cost to the artist. There is no denying that the beats not only knew what they were doing politically, or at least trying to do, but that they accomplished so very much with so very little is nothing short of amazing. One can't help but marvel at the sheer audacity of their work and the courage it must have taken to continue in the face of very slow public adoption, if not scorn.

Kerouac coined the term 'beat generation' in 1948 and it was introduced to the public in 1952. The participants themselves, the beat poets, who eventually came to be known as beatniks (though the term was used generally to describe an entire generation such as generation X-ers, or hippies in the sixties), were out to overthrow a very large, very staunch, literary and artistic institution. The weapons they chose to wage battle were their words, the more outrageous the better, their actions, the more outrageous the better, and even their lives. Get it people, the beats practiced what they preached. Many were drug addicts, alchoholics, thieves, criminals, and there were even cases of manslaughter in their midst. Add to this charming rogue atmosphere that rebelliousness and non-conformity were in the air in the 50's, and you've got a case of perfect timing. Perhaps if they were actually profound, they wouldn't have had such an impact?

I suppose one can find many elements of beat in today's rap and hip-hop. However, if you look at just about any generation, you'll find those more interested in bringing down the status quo than maintaining it. The same goes for the fragx website. The beat poet saw himself as promoting a legitimate, albeit unorthodox, creative, and artistic self-expression. Today's fragxter, I'm convinced, feels similarly. You be the judge.

 

-casler