Ken Kesey Biography

One of America’s most critically acclaimed and controversial authors, Ken Kesey’s rise to literary and cultural prominence was the result of his idiosyncratic skills and experiences. He is well-known for his novel, ‘One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest’, which was written after he served as an experimental ‘guinea pig’ and aide in a hospital. His other notable works include, ‘Kesey’s Garage Sale’, ‘Demon Box’, ‘Last Go Round’ and ‘Kesey’s Jail Journal’. He promoted the usage of drugs through a group he formed with known as the ‘Merry Pranksters’. The ‘Pranksters’ were known for their notoriety and for their ‘acid tests’, which eventually became the inspiration for a book written by another author, Tom Wolfe. Although his drug usage landed him in jail a couple of times, he used his hallucinogenic experiences with LSD and Acid Tests as inspirations for his works. An alumnus of Stanford University’s creative writing program, he considered himself a yoke between the hippies and the ‘Beat Generation’ of the 60s. Towards the end of his career, he mainly kept to himself and made artistic offerings on the internet or held ritualistic renewals of the ‘Acid Test’. He occasionally made appearances at rock concerts with his ‘Pranksters’ and even wrote essays for popular magazine like ‘Rolling Stone’. To learn more about his life and works, scroll further.