Jake Randolph in "The Naked Beat" Pt. 5
The term "Beatnik" was coined in an article on April 2, 1958 by San Francisco Chronicle journalist Herb Caen, who had a daily column focusing on local city issues, as well as social and political topics, and anecdotes.
Caen took the word "Beat" and added -nik to it, the Russian suffix popularized by the Sputnik, the rocket which the Russians had launched into space a mere six months prior to Caen's article. Suddenly, that suffix was being bandied about indiscriminately.
So it was not Jack Kerouac, but Herb Caen and his journalistic cohorts who were responsible for all this mess...
- Category: Crime, Murder & Mystery
4 comments add one below
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Christopher about 8 years ago
Thanks, Robbin. I figured I would go ahead and post the needed exposition so the story can proceed.
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Neville Hunt about 8 years ago
You surely have done your homework, Christopher!
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Christopher about 8 years ago
Thanks, Neville. Yeah, that's why it took so long to get this story off the ground. But the rest of the history lessons, if any, will be sprinkled in amongst the story. But I thought the whole Beatnik subject needed to be explained for those that might not be familiar with it.
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Christopher about 8 years ago
Thank you, L. Michelle. I was trying not to make it sound too much like a history lesson.
Thank you so much, Ocean!
