ance @ Women of the Brat Generation (The Writers, Artists and Muses at the Heart of a Revelution) by Brenda Knight: Conari Press, Berkeley, CA (distributed by Raincoast Books); 356 pp., $22.95. & dal A couple of weeks ago the National Post asked that proverbial right-wing question “Is feminism dead, yet?” And, of course, they answered with a resounding yes. Practising, ge0d journalisra they sought quetes to strengthen their thesis and came back with stuff like “Feminism T hate thar word. [would sooner call myself a humanist” trony MuchMusic VI Rebecca Rankin. Feminism is one of those gnostic gospels of othernzss which gained ground in the radical period of the late sixties. Betore that cra women who questioned the established codes of culture did it on their own and were usuaily in for a difficult nme. Brenda Knight's Woes of the Beat Generation, just out this month in softcover, examines the lives of a group who rejected the status quo and participated in the development of American counterculture after the Second World War. As she notes in the preface “The fifties had a choke hold on consciousness, the industrial age at its most insidiously rote and conformist, The Beats were the only game in town.” The movement was not a widespread phenomenon and tor the most part its membership was contained within the continentai United States. Only when they tried to distance themselves from authori- ty did they move outside of the urban environments of New York, San Francisco, etc. — William Burroughs and Joan Vollmer Adams Burroughs vacated city lite for rural Texas and marijuana growing before heading south to complete their William ‘Tell routine in Mexico; anybody who got the chance visited the Bowles under the sheltering sky in Morocco. Allen Ginsberg introduced himself over the phone to an incomprehending Jane Bowles as a “bop poet” and those two words neatly sum up the influences of the group. Although the Beats were primarily white writers they werz heavily influenced by black jazz. The term “Beat Women” refers not only to those who wrote, but also to wiveG girlfriends, daughters, and mothers of the Beats. In her book Knight breaks down the personalities into separate categories as The Precursors, The Muses, The Writers and The Artists. As he tells us near the end of On The Road Jack Kerouac met once of his wives (Joan Haverty Kerouac) by knocking on the wrong window while looking for a party. Typical of the stream- of-consciousness/no editing Beat lifestyle they marricd two weeks later. Carolyn Cassady’s time spent on and off the road with the real-life Dean Moriarty, Neal Cassady, is a surreal take on °30s America. Despite endiess attempts at “rehabilitating” his charac- ter the merry prankster never did settle down. Thé main section of the book is devoted to the work of 17 writers and artists. The famous (Diane di Prima), the forgotten (Elise Gowen) and the next gencration (Anne Waldman) are all represented with excellent archival photographs and excerpts from their work, In Women of the Beat Generation Knight has created a histori- cal document of the first order and opened up raany areas for further research. File this classic work under feminist scholarship. ' -— Joln Goodman “The Best Christmas ' Present You Can Give | To Your Loved One All European comiazt shoes are QM SALE. ur to SQ"Se 7” Seiesied Styles a HERITAGE j Favouriie B The Clouded Lespard (Travels to Landscapes of Spirtt and Desire) — Wade Davis. Dougias & McIntyre; 231 pp; $29.95. West Vancouver’s Wade Davis has sup- plied us with one of the great books of the year. Period. This anthology of travel writing from the world-famous “anthropologist and plant-explorer” includes seven new essays as well as reprints of some materi- al trom his earlier Shadows is: the Sun, 8 Inland Shores (Manos 10:2 Western Canada) -— Frank Stewart, editor and Charlene Giln:our, feature editor. University of Hawaii Press; 213 pp; $16.00 (U.S.) Twice a year (in June and December) Manoa, A Pacific Journal of International Writing, publishes literature from a selected area of America, the Pacific and Asia. The latest volume, marking their 10th anniversary, focuses on Western Canada with essays, memoirs, fiction and poetry from the region. B C. authors include ‘Theresa Kishkan, Alan Haig-Brown and Charles Lillard with his epic poem of Haida oral histo- ty Revenge of the Pebble Town A People. 4 \ —— $300,000 Sketches of B.C.'s aborigi- nal cultures made by John Webber during Cook’s jour- ney along the coast in 1778 accompany the text. The book can be purchased at Duthies’ stores or you can order direct- ly from Manoa at the University of Hawaii Press, Journals Dept., 2840 S 32 Books’ 1. Beaditer Joiees Dares 71998 hestsellers — Helen Frelding (Mater, g- 2. A Foie Batauce ~~ Rohinton AMlistry chaber and Feber) B.A Cr dtinte Season Carol Shichds and Blanche Howard (Vintage! 4. Tite Memory Game - - Nicci French (Hememann) 5. 200 Best Plants for thie Coastal Garden ~- Steve Whwsall (Whitecap Books) 6. A Widew For Ou Year -~ Louse} 7. The Bean Trees — Barbara Kingsolver (HarperCollins) Caleb Carr (Bantam Books) 8. Vie Altenist - John Irving (Random | FIELDINGS’ humor teps the list at 32 Books. 9, Rest Hrbes and Walks of Southwestern B.C, —- Dawn Hanna 10. The Giris Who Dish —- Eight Vancouver chets (Whirecap Books) — The ten top-selling boaks of }998 at 32 Books, 140 East lth, North Vanesuver (980-9032). Kolowalu St., Honolulu, HI 96822 US.A. B The Sensnalist — Barbara Fiodgson. Raincoast Books; 304 pp, 45 colour illustrations; $29.95, Hedgson explores the five senses in this fictional tale of'a woman's journey through interior and exterior worlds. French philosopher Jacques Derrida uses graphics as “crance partitions” within text to ater the rhythms of narrative. Hodgson applies illustrations in a similar from B.C . authors ae ? manner to advance her story of scholar Helen Martin’s search for truth and meaning. River of the Angry Moon (Seasons on the Bella Coola —- Mark Hume with Harry Thommasen. Greystone; 176 pp; $26.95. Fellow angler Thommiassen inspired Vancouver journalist Hume to explore a year in the life of the legendary B.C. river threatened by ourside forces. — Jeln Goodman NorTH SHORE RESCUE NEEDS Your HELP. ~—— $250,000 The North Shore Rescue Team would like everyone to know that thaxks to the generous donations they've received so far, their fund raising campaign has almost made ——— $200,000 it to the halfway mark. Of course, that also means there’s still a long way to go until they reach their goal of $300,000 — and the funds needed to purchase a new _gommand vehicle. H you would like to help out the Trani}and support. a valuable resource of the North Shore f Emergency Program, please send Aw! your dénation to: Ne hth Shore Rescue Team, 147 East Lyi St, North Vancouver, V7L 2N4. Or caii $83-7441 for more information.