Bohemians, Beats And Blues People

by Jim Burns

(Penniless Press Publications, £10.99)

The vast majority of these essays are as fresh and original today as they were when first written a few decades ago and many are a sheer joy to read.

Partly this is due to Jim Burns's encyclopaedic knowledge, though equally enjoyable is the clear, thoughtful style and boundless enthusiasm for the subject he brings to the book.

After a personal view of what he considers to be bohemian, Burns follows this up with the obligatory piece on Jack Kerouac (pictured) and a thoughtful look at the often neglected Gregory Corso.

The collection often has a wider remit than the title might suggest.

Many of the people, books and pieces of music covered are not easily pigeonholed and while some of the author's comments are a little off the wall, there's much of interest here to anyone on the left.

The seminal magazine New Masses, the Harlem Renaissance and the debates within the wider intelligentsia about key issues such as socialist realism all come under detailed scrutiny.

Figures like Claude McKay, Richard Wright and James Farrell get a look-in but it's the author's ability to hunt out lesser-known but often more interesting figures that catch the attention, with references to tramp poet Harry Kemp and the mysterious B Traven exemplary in this respect.

The discussion on the impact of McCarthyism is also far more comprehensive than might be expected compared with works covering similar counter-cultural movements.

In a society which appears to read less and less and a market increasingly dominated by Waterstones, Amazon and a handful of publishing giants, Burns celebrates those who tried to be genuinely creative and who were not just motivated by purely commercial values.

In some ways, the book's a lament to eccentric bookshop owners, hardworking small publishers, little magazines and fiery pamphlets. This world hasn't entirely disappeared but it's certainly one which has taken a battering.

This is the fourth such collection put out by Burns and I'll certainly be keeping my eye out for the other three.

Steve Andrew