Herbert Huncke
Herbert Huncke was an influential figure in the Beat Generation, born on January 9, 1915, in Greenfield, Massachusetts. He grew up in Chicago and became a drifter, engaging in a life that included theft and drug addiction. Huncke moved to New York City in 1939, where he became immersed in the vibrant, often underground culture of Times Square, interacting with various marginalized groups. His experiences during World War II as a merchant sailor took him around the world, but he returned to New York, where he profoundly influenced notable writers such as William Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, and Allen Ginsberg.
Huncke introduced Burroughs to heroin, and his candid personality inspired the Beat writers to explore themes of honesty and raw experience in their work. He coined the term "beat" to describe a lifestyle marked by poverty and disillusionment, laying the groundwork for the Beat Generation's identity. Despite spending significant time in prison during the 1950s, Huncke remained a voice of authenticity, contributing to literature with works like *Huncke's Journal* and *The Evening Sun Turned Crimson*. Later, he taught at the Naropa Institute, continuing to shape literary discourse until his death on August 8, 1996. His legacy endures as a symbol of the countercultural movement that challenged societal norms.
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Herbert Huncke
Writer
- Born: January 9, 1915
- Birthplace: Greenfield, Massachusetts
- Died: August 8, 1996
- Place of death: New York, New York
Biography
Herbert Huncke was born in Greenfield, Massachusetts, on January 9, 1915. He grew up in Chicago, and as a teenager he became a drifter, thief, and drug addict. He moved to New York in 1939 after his parents divorced. He spent most of his time on Forty-Second Street and in Times Square, where he associated with criminals, prostitutes, and sailors. He sailed on a merchant marine ship during World War II and traveled to South America, Africa, and Europe. He returned to New York and became friends with the unpublished writer William Borroughs.
He introduced Borroughs to heroin and other drugs. Borroughs, along with his friends Jack Kerouac and Allen Ginsberg, grew to admire Huncke for his honesty and forthrightness. They encouraged him to become a writer. Huncke shared an apartment with Ginsberg and introduced Kerouac to the term “beat,” which he used to describe a person living with no money and few prospects; this led to the term “Beat Generation.”
Huncke, a bisexual, was interviewed by famous sex researcher Alfred Kinsey in the late 1940’s. He spent most of the 1950’s in prison. He served as an inspiration to this new “Beat Generation” of poets and writers, and both Borroughs and Kerouac based characters in their novels on him. Huncke was the author of several short character sketches, which the other “Beat” writers admired for their honest conversational style. He is the author of Huncke’s Journal (1965) and The Evening Sun Turned Crimson (1980). His autobiography, Guilty of Everything, was published in 1990. The Herbert Huncke Reader came out in 1997.
Huncke went on to teach at Ginsberg’s Naropa Institute poetry school. He lived his final years in the Chelsea Hotel in New York City. He died on August 8, 1996.