There's a rather depressing article on the Beat Generation in today's Guardian - a predictable complaint about a latent - even explicit - misogyny in the group.

I'm not going to argue the rights or wrongs of this interpretation, only regret that this type of mainstream press writing on poetry simply reinforces prejudice & ill-informed opinion.

In a feeble attempt to exert some kind of balance I've made a comment recommending Coolidge's account of reading Kerouac - one of the most energising bits of writing on writing I've ever read.

As always it's a matter of going to source - direct encounter with the words on the page.

& exactly what journalism tends to obstruct.