Ken kesey nationality
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A farm boy from the Willamette Valley, Ken Kesey brought an earthy, independent spirit to the American literary scene and to his self-designated role as the young Turk of the 1960s counterculture. His literary reputation rests on two novels, both written before he was thirty. His fame (or notoriety) as a countercultural icon stems from his band of willful misfits, the Merry Pranksters, who openly used and advocated psychedelic drugs. Kesey’s antics made him an object of admiration and scorn, yet his willingness to push limits and redefine normal boundaries came with a serious sense of purpose.
Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado, on September 17, 1935. When he was eleven, his parents moved to the Springfield area to establish a dairy cooperative. In 1956, he married Faye Haxby. They had three children and raised a daughter from his liaison with fellow Merry Prankster Carolyn Adams.
Kesey’s pugnacious personality was shaped during his years at Springfield High School and the University of Oregon, where he was a champion wrestler and football player. After earning his bachelor’s
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Ken Kesey, Novelist and Hero of 1960s Counterculture
Ken Kesey was an American writer who attained fame with his first novel, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. He helped define the 1960s as both an innovative author and a flamboyant catalyst of the hippie movement.
Fast Facts: Ken Kesey
- Born: September 17, 1935, in La Junta, Colorado
- Died: November 10, 2001 in Eugene, Oregon
- Parents: Frederick A. Kesey and Geneva Smith
- Spouse: Norma Faye Haxby
- Children: Zane, Jed, Sunshine, and Shannon
- Education: University of Oregon and Stanford University
- Most Important Published Works: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (1962), Sometimes a Great Notion (1964).
- Known For: In addition to being an influential author, he was the leader of the Merry Pranksters and helped launch the 1960s counterculture and hippie movement.
Early Life
Ken Kesey was born September 17, 1935, in La Junta, Colorado. His parents were farmers, and after his father served in World War II, the family moved to Springfield, Oregon. Growing up, Kesey spent much of his time in the
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Ken Kesey
American writer and countercultural figure (1935–2001)
Ken Elton Kesey (; September 17, 1935 – November 10, 2001) was an American novelist, essayist and countercultural figure. He considered himself a link between the Beat Generation of the 1950s and the hippies of the 1960s.
Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado, and grew up in Springfield, Oregon, graduating from the University of Oregon in 1957. He began writing One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest in 1960 after completing a graduate fellowship in creative writing at Stanford University; the novel was an immediate commercial and critical success when published two years later. During this period, Kesey was used by the CIA without his knowledge in the Project MKULTRA involving hallucinogenic drugs (including mescaline and LSD), which was done to try to make people insane to put them under the control of interrogators.[4][5]
After One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest was published, Kesey moved to nearby La Honda, California, and began hosting "happenings" with former colleagues from Stanford,
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