Beat Generation

American  

[beet jen-uh-rey-shuhn] / ˈbit ˌdʒɛn əˈreɪ ʃən /

Or beat generation

noun

1. members of the generation that came of age after World War II who, supposedly as a result of disillusionment stemming from the Cold War, embraced forms of mysticism and the relaxation of social and sexual inhibitions.

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Beat Generation British  

noun

1. members of the generation that came to maturity in the 1950s, whose rejection of the social and political systems of the West was expressed through contempt for regular work, possessions, traditional dress, etc, and espousal of anarchism, communal living, drugs, etc

2. a group of US writers, notably Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William Burroughs, who emerged in the 1950s

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Etymology

Origin of Beat Generation

First recorded in 1950–55; apparently from beat ( def. ), though the sense intended by earliest users of the phrase is not clear; the association with beatitude ( def. ) later made by Jack Kerouac is probably fanciful

Example Sentences

Jack Kerouac’s 1957 novel, “On the Road,” defined him as the voice of the Beat Generation.

From Salon

"Steeped in a neo-Romantic sensibility that owed as much to John Keats as to the Beat Generation and Bob Dylan, Mr. Kristofferson’s work explored themes of freedom and commitment, alienation and desire, darkness and light," Bill Friskics-Warren of The New York Times wrote in an obituary published Monday.

From Salon

Neeli Cherkovski, a prolific poet and denizen of beatnik cafes who chronicled the literary ethos of bohemian culture in biographies of Beat Generation writers, including his friends Charles Bukowski and Lawrence Ferlinghetti, died on March 19 in San Francisco.

From New York Times

He was friendly with Bateson, and he and Mead made a radio show about the Beat Generation.

From Los Angeles Times

Some visit San Francisco’s North Beach because it tastes like Italy, and some visit because it howls like the Beat Generation.

From Los Angeles Times