Who was the leader of the Beat Generation?

Answer 1

Since the Beatniks were nonconformists, there was really no organization nor leader to their cause. It started as a literary movement centered around the novels of Jack Kerouac and poet Allen Ginsberg. The "beat" life evolved into what was called a bohemian lifestyle. The center of the beatnik culture was New York's Greenwich Village, San Francisco's North Beach, and Venice, California. Beats rebelled against the intellectual erosion of the 1950s. They opted to avoid society and took no interest in politics, public life, or mainstream employment. They mocked America's love of materialism by wearing t-shirts and khaki trousers. They lived in sparsely furnished "pads," named because of the mattress on the floor. The Beats were highly intellectual, discovering obscure writers on all subjects, and embracing Zen Buddhism. Their music was jazz and they lived together without the necessity of marriage.

Answer 2

The Beat Generation symbolized a break from the traditional conservatism of 1950s American society, and in part precluded the 1960s liberal movements. The most prominent Beat literary figures were Jack Kerouac, who wrote "On the Road" in 1957 and Allen Ginsberg, the author of "Howl" (1956). Kerouac's book depicts a life of spontaneity and freedom, while Howl rips apart the foundations of American materialistic society.