American Hipster
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"American Hipster tells the tale of a New York sex worker and heroin addict whose unrepentant deviance caught the imagination of Beat writers Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and William S. Burroughs. Teetering between exhaustion and existential despair, Huncke often said 'I'm beat, man.' His line gave Kerouac the label for a down-at-the heels generation seeking spiritual sustenance as well as 'kicks' in post-war America" -- P.[4] pf cover.
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Before I began this book, I knew nothing about Herbert Huncke. I was aware of and have read some of the Beats–Kerouac, Ginsberg, Burroughs–but have never paid terribly close attention to them. Suddenly, with this biography, I'm intrigued. Huncke was something of a minor planet in this solar system of writers, but still a remarkable figure. This book tells a fascinating story.
