Poets on the Peaks

by John Suiter

Book Overview

A beautifully illustrated account of Beat icons Jack Kerouac, Gary Snyder, and Philip Whalen and the years in the Cascades that shaped their lives and work. . This description may be from another edition of this product.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: 1582431485
• ISBN13: 9781582431482
• Release Date: April 2002
• Publisher: Counterpoint LLC
• Length: 352 Pages
• Weight: 2.68 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.1" x 8.8" x 9.7"

Customer Reviews

Brilliant text on the 50's West Coast (not merely Beat) Zeitigeist

First, and foremost, John Suiter's exceptional photos and detailed biographical text in Poets on the Peaks are NOT, as the previous reviewer wrote, merely "The history of Kerouac's 'rucksack mode'...co-starring Gary Snyder & Philip Whalen." On the contrary, it is so much more than this; it is the story of the 50's Zeitigeist, when much of American cultural discourse expanded to include the more rugged, natural venacular of the West Coast. In this sense, Snyder (born and raised on the West Coast) and Whalen play the leading roles, in my opinion, while Kerouac plays a lesser role (though not slighted in the least by Suiter). Don't get me wrong - I dig Kerouac. But this fecund book is more about the a cultural movement, say, the interaction between the old, established East Coast literary tradition (from which Kerouac was fleeing but could never quite break away) and the new, wildy independent West Coast tradition, headed up by the likes of Rexroth and Jeffers, than it is about any single poet. Logistically, the photos are superb. Also, readers already familiar with Snyder, Whalen, and Kerouac will find new tidbits of information here, I think. Suiter simply KNOWS his subject, inside and out, from the mountains to the poets to the sacred Buddhist texts that so inspired them. For example, Suiter's description of Snyder's epiphany on reading the Diamond Sutra while hitch hiking was, for me, simply sublime; but to Suiter's credit, he presents such moments in an understated, matter of fact way. Finally, I would like to offer a personal insight from the book. It seems to me that an individual can - and usually does, at some point in their life - come face to face with the universe, or in this case the Void so represented by the mountains, and go radically in one of two directions: flip out, like Kerouac, seeing the world as infinitely meaningless, and therefore sad (read: Desolation Angels); or imbue the emptiness, like Snyder (and the Buddhist tradition), with one's own meaning, seeing the world as infinitely playful and beautiful. Artistically speaking, neither response is inherently more correct, I would argue, but the latter is certainly healthier, I should think, judging by how long Snyder has been around (vs. Kerouac's alcoholic demise). I cannot recommed this text enough.

Essential read for the Beat Fan

Stunning photography, intriguing stories, no-nonsense understanding. The history of Kerouac's 'rucksack mode' culminating with his summer-camp stay atop Desolation Peak in the North Cascades, co-starring Gary Snyder & Philip Whalen. Not to mention some nice details regarding the famous '55 Six Gallery poetry fete held in The City.

Covers beautiful Cascade Mountain scenes and peaks

Writer-photographer Suiter provides a literary portrait of Beat era poets Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Jack Kerouac in Poets On The Peaks, which centers around their early experiences as fire lookouts in the 1950s. As such, Poets On The Peaks provides a hard book to easily categorize: it covers beautiful Cascade Mountain scenes and peaks, fire lookouts, and literature and biography alike. The writings of these three juxtapose nicely with the photos and images, making this a recommended gift choice for the holiday season.

Gifted Photographer/Story Teller Explores Poets/Peaks

"Poets on the Peaks" by John Suiter is a beautiful and insightful book. The text and pictures hold your hand through wonderful reminiscing with and about some of the greatest poets of our time. The landscapes that inspired the poetry that Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen and Jack Kerouac are famous for is staged perfectly throughout the book. It gives you a sense of time and place that makes you feel as if you were in those look out towers and you experienced that electric and quiet time. Learn, escape, and love with this book. It is well worth it!

A wonderful book.

This book is large and strong, with beautiful pictures of the Cascades. It is also filled with stories about and interviews with Gary Snyder, Philip Whalen, and Jack Kerouac from their younger days. It helped to fill in some blanks for me on what helped make them the men they became.