(1925–1965)

American poet, novelist, and essayist.

Spicer was associated with the Beat Generation primarily because of his social activities and attitudes, his friendships with Bay-area poets, and his involvement with several small presses and magazines developed by counterculture writers as an alternative means of publishing their works. Although Spicer and the Beats espoused similar ideals and sensibilities, he repeatedly accused financially successful Beat writers such as Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg of “selling out” to what he termed the “English department” establishment of commercial publishing. In addition, Spicer disputed the Beats’ belief that poetry is primarily a means of personal expression; instead, he asserted his theory that writing poetry is a form of dictation in which the poet derived mysterious codes or messages from an external source. According to Spicer, the poet’s role was similar to that of a...