Seth Kupchick

During the month of September 1993 the author, with his friend and mentor Casey, were invited to stay on the farm of Haldon Chase and family near Paso Robles, California. 'Hal' Chase was notable for being one of the original members of the Beat Generation in the 1940s, having literally introduced its two main protagonists, Jack Kerouac and Neal Cassady, to each other. Chase appears, under various pseudonyms, as a character in the works of Kerouac and Burroughs. In his later years, though, Chase had disdained his connection to the Beats and became emotionally and intuitively reluctant to talk on the subject with potential interviewers. It is fortunate, then, that in relaxed after-dinner discussions around the Chase table, Seth and Casey were able to tease out of Hal Chase his thoughts about his Beat companions of the 1940s and '50s. Chase died in 2006, so it's even more fortunate for us that Seth Kupchick has recorded these views and much more in this enjoyable memoir of his time with an unadmitted Beat legend. A valuable book, strongly recommended, especially for anyone with an interest in the Beat Generation. ****… (mehr)