Huge Dreams

Huge Dreams republishes two books, out of print for thirty years, which together are a cornerstone of the Beat movementThe New Book/A Book of Torture and Star. Both were influential in expanding poetry into a larger worldthe West Coast Beat phenomena, which focused on nature, the environment, antiwar activities, individual anarchism, Zen Buddhism, jazz, and a kind of romantic mystical thought. With these books Michael McClure brought an animal energy and a knowledge of art and physical human nature that was new to the scene. The New Book/A Book of Torture was written spontaneously while McClure was in a dark night of the soul brought on by psychedelics. A single long poem of experience and exploration, it offers the means of liberation from the darkness it examines. Star is a wide-ranging book of chalice seeking, spiritual discovery, and political protest, grounded in the emotions and sensations of eros and play. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.