[Pigpen]

I dont see whats so hard about Naked Lunch. Its fantastic, Ive had no trouble with it at all. Also Dharma Bums is by far my favorite. Gary Snyder is also great. Its San Francisco Renaissance but close enough to the beats.

[Shaggy]

Charles Bukowski
Bertrand Russell
Aldous Huxley

any Tom Waits album!

[Jimkkc]

Tristessa and Visions of Gerard are by far the two least read of Kerouac, yet there are the two that stand out in my head as being Kerouac's most successful novels - by successful, I mean artistically not commercially.

Don't forget Visions of Cody - Visions of Cody documents Kerouac's relationship with Cowboy Neal and is more than likely a must read for those interested in GD history origens . . .

[Panda Licker]

I dont see whats so hard about Naked Lunch. Its fantastic.

I think it might fall under 'difficult' because of an almost complete lack of plot. Don't get me wrong, I love it (I love most of burroughs works. I think I've read 27 or 28 of his books. Slightly obsessive)

but I've yet to meet someone in person who read it and enjoyed it quite as much as I did. It must be an aquired taste.

[bucketorain]

dont forget visions of cody by Jack.

[Django]

'The Doors to Perception' by Aldous Huxley and 'Eyeless in Gaza' by the same,
While only on topic by the trippy nature of the narrative, 'Ulysses' by James Joyce and 'Steppenwolf' by Herman Hesse. Hesse seemed to be an important touch stone to my generation. On the other book related post I mentioned 'A Canticle for Liebowitz' by Walter Miller. Other touch stones previously mentioned: Vonnegut, Wolfe, Robert Anton Wilson. I really enjoyed 'Electric Kool-aid' but Wolfe does paint Garcia as selling out to the record business instead of staying 'on the bus'. Which is highly hippocritical since Wolfe was along as a journalist.