beatnik
Coffeehouse poetry devotee
A beatnik is a person associated with the Beat Generation of the 1950s and early 1960s—typically nonconformist, interested in jazz, poetry, and Eastern philosophy, and rejecting mainstream American values.
The term was coined by a journalist, blending "beat" with the Russian suffix "-nik" (as in Sputnik), giving it a faintly mocking edge.
He dressed like a beatnik in black turtlenecks and berets.
Rejects prevailing social standards
- antiestablishmentOpposed to dominant institutions
- bohemianArtistic nonconformist type
- dropoutOne who quits early
- rebelAuthority defier
free spirit · outsider · maverick · dissent · rejection · mainstream · square · protest
Flat wool cap
- goateeChin-only beard style
- black turtleneckDark high-collared sweater
- sandalsOpen strappy footwear
- sunglassesTinted eye protection
cigarette holder · espresso · coffeehouse · candlelit · sparse · minimalist · cool · detached
Fast, complex jazz style
- bongoSmall paired hand drums
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
- cool jazzRelaxed 1950s improvisational music
scat · syncopation · finger snapping · saxophone · bass · Charlie Parker · Dizzy Gillespie · Thelonious Monk
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- ZenMeditative Buddhist school
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- Eastern philosophyAsian intellectual traditions
- nihilismRejection of objective meaning
alienation · authenticity · absurdism · Sartre · Camus · dharma · enlightenment · meditation
Beat Generation novelist
- Ginsberg"Howl" writer, beatnik
- HowlGinsberg's iconic 1956 poem
- On the RoadBeat Generation travelogue
- CorsoItalian main street
Burroughs · Naked Lunch · free verse · stream of consciousness · confessional · City Lights · poetry reading · mimeograph
Decade after WWII
- postwarAfter hostilities end
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- Columbia UniversityManhattan's Ivy League institution
- youth movementOrganized effort by adolescents
nonconformist
Rejects prevailing social standards
- antiestablishmentOpposed to dominant institutions
- bohemianArtistic nonconformist type
- dropoutOne who quits early
rebel · free spirit · outsider · maverick · dissent · rejection · mainstream · square · protest · pacifism
beret
Flat wool cap
- goateeChin-only beard style
- black turtleneckDark high-collared sweater
- sandalsOpen strappy footwear
sunglasses · cigarette holder · espresso · coffeehouse · candlelit · sparse · minimalist · cool · detached · introspective
bebop
Fast, complex jazz style
- bongoSmall paired hand drums
- jazzImprovisational American music genre
- improvisationSpontaneous, unplanned creation
cool jazz · scat · syncopation · finger snapping · saxophone · bass · Charlie Parker · Dizzy Gillespie · Thelonious Monk · Miles Davis
existentialism
Philosophy stressing self-created meaning
- ZenMeditative Buddhist school
- BuddhismEnlightenment-seeking Eastern religion
- Eastern philosophyAsian intellectual traditions
nihilism · alienation · authenticity · absurdism · Sartre · Camus · dharma · enlightenment · meditation · detachment
Kerouac
Beat Generation novelist
- Ginsberg"Howl" writer, beatnik
- HowlGinsberg's iconic 1956 poem
- On the RoadBeat Generation travelogue
Burroughs · Corso · Naked Lunch · free verse · stream of consciousness · confessional · City Lights · poetry reading · mimeograph · typewriter
1950s
Decade after WWII
- postwarAfter hostilities end
- Cold WarProlonged East-West standoff
- Columbia UniversityManhattan's Ivy League institution
youth movement · precursor · hippie · influence · legacy
- 1950sEisenhower, poodle skirt, Elvis Presley, Rosa Parks, baby boom
- Coined Wordschortle, galumph, nerd, robot, quark
- fashion stylescasual wear, bohemian, formal wear, preppy, romantic
- fashion trendsvintage fashion, retro fashion, retro style, vintage, retro
- Nonconformistsnonconformist, rebels, rebel, misfits, misfit
- retro stylesart deco, art nouveau, mod, hippie, disco
beatnikconformist
One following accepted norms
square · organization man · company man · straight · suburbanite
beatnikphilistine
Art-dismissing ignoramus
middlebrow · Norman Rockwell · lowbrow · traditionalist · anti-intellectual