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Ken Kesey



Ken Kesey (1935–2001) was an American novelist and counterculture icon. Kesey wrote One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest following his participation in a study testing mind-altering drugs and work in a VA hospital. To promote his book Sometimes a Great Notion, Kesey banded together with the Merry Pranksters for a cross-country trip ending in New York, a famous drug-laced adventure that was documented in The Electric Kool-Acid Test by Tom Wolfe.

Ken Kesey
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Sailor Song

This epic tale of the north is a vibrant moral fable for our time.

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Ken Kesey Kisses No Ass

The literary prankster doesn't care a blotter-acid lick what those snooty East Coast fatheads think of his first novel in twenty-eight years. Who needs their feeble blessing when you have an entire generation behind you?

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14:43

Ken Kesey Interview on "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest" (1992)

Ken Kesey, author of "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest," explains why he waited 28 years to write his new novel, "Sailor Song," and reflects on his creative process and his love of writing for children.

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Sometimes a Great Notion

The magnificent second novel from the legendary author of One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. This wild-spirited tale tells of a bitter strike that rages through a small lumber town along the Oregon coast. Bucking that strike out of sheer cussedness are the Stampers.

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Ken Kesey, the Art of Fiction No. 136

At the center of Kesey’s work are what he calls “little warriors” battling large forces. Over the years, some critics have praised his work for its maverick power and themes of defiance; others have questioned his wild and paranoid vision.

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12:17

Ken Kesey on Letterman, November 8, 1983

Ken Kesey makes his only appearance on the show. He's in New York to attend the 50th anniversary of Esquire magazine.

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Last Go Round: A Real Western

It was around a sagebrush campfire in eastern Oregon that Kesey first heard the tale from his father - about the legendary "last go round" that took place at the original Pendleton Round Up in 1911.

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Ken Kesey, Author of 'Cuckoo's Nest,' Who Defined the Psychedelic Era, Dies at 66

Ken Kesey, novelist and Pied Piper of psychedelic era, dies at age 66; photos.

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35:41

Ken Kesey Interview Part 1

Too Hip For The Room Interviews

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One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest

In this classic novel, Ken Kesey’s hero is Randle Patrick McMurphy, a boisterous, brawling, fun-loving rebel who swaggers into the world of a mental hospital and takes over.

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