Professor David Peimer
The Beat Generation, Part 1: Kerouac and the Poets
Summary
The discussion revolves around the Beat Generation, with a focus on Jack Kerouac and his seminal work “On the Road” (1957). Langston Hughes, an influential African American poet, is also brought into the conversation, with an exploration of the connections between their works and jazz music. Highlighting tensions between Kerouac’s perspective and the subsequent sixties generation, Professor David Peimer probes Kerouac’s motivations and influences, notably his Catholic upbringing. The discussion further emphasizes Kerouac’s pivotal role in the emergence of the Beat Generation alongside Allen Ginsberg and William Burroughs. Part 1 of 2.
Professor David Peimer
David Peimer is a professor of theatre and performance studies in the UK. He has taught at the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg, and New York University (Global Division), and was a Fulbright Scholar at Columbia University. Born in South Africa, David has won numerous awards for playwriting and directing. He has written eleven plays and directed forty in places like South Africa, New York, Brussels, London, Berlin, Zulu Kingdom, Athens, and more. His writing has been published widely and he is the editor of Armed Response: Plays from South Africa (2009) and the interactive digital book Theatre in the Camps (2012). He is on the board of the Pinter Centre in London.