EXCERPT FROM 'This is the Beat Generation' BY JOHN CLENNON HOLMES

Any attempt to label an entire generation is unrewarding, and yet the generation which went through the last war [WWII], or at least could get a drink easily once it was over, seems to possess a uniform, general quality which demands an adjective ... The origins of the word 'beat' are obscure, but the meaning is only too clear to most Americans. More than mere weariness, it implies the feeling of having been used, of being raw. It involves a sort of nakedness of mind, and, ultimately, of soul; a feeling of being reduced to the bedrock of consciousness. In short, it means being undramatically pushed up against the wall of oneself. A man is beat whenever he goes for broke and wagers the sum of his resources on a single number; and the young generation has done that continually from early youth.

Monday, March 9, 2009

"Das Kus" by Gustav Klimpt


The two embrace, melting, molding to one another, becoming one, as if growing up from the ground. Flowers gaze up from the earth the lovers kneel upon, and share their desire. Vines, like anklets, trail over her slender ankles down toward the abyss, the entire universe. They can feel the essence of this universe in their kiss. Effacing the vicissitudes of daily life, the lovers become one. Her pale skin contrasts with his dark complexion but their differences, the infinite idols of individuality, blur into a pantheism of passion. Manly lines and feminine circles unite in a perfect chord of harmony. He leans over her with ardour, lust, intensity, eager to share his passion with her soul. Her eyes are closed but she is still able to sense the fervour of his being. Her arm encircles his neck. He cradles her head gently with both his hands. Her face betrays no emotion; she is open, vulnerable to his obsession. They breathe together and their breath is one. For them, there is no past, no future, just an immediate existence of yearning in one kiss, one love, one lifetime. Death comes to us all, but these two have the lifeblood of eternity.

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