American Smoke: Journeys to the End of the Light

Product Description

'A good step beyond midway through my dark wood of the lost world, I came to America, hoping to reconnect with the heroes of my youth . . .'

On the trail of the American Beats, Iain Sinclair makes a delirious and perhaps ill-fated expedition in the footsteps of Malcolm Lowry, Jack Kerouac, William Burroughs, Charles Olson and Gary Snyder. It is a journey in search of literary ghosts behind mirages of volcanoes and the Old West. In which rumours vie with false memories and unreliable reports to steer our guide from one strange adventure into another. It is an odyssey in which the beginning offers no clues as to where it may end.

'A web of ideas that gives us Sinclair's unique take on the Beats and their moment in 20th century letters. Fans will love American Smoke's rich mix, the blurred lines and outfield references.' Spectator

'Sinclair's prose pins the cultural moments . . . this discordant literary knockabout is as noisy as Burroughs's final bullet from the Kansas bunker.' The Times

'A challenging, maddening, fascinating journey . . . enjoy Sinclair's poetic language and subtly warped sense of humour. Rich and engrossing.' Metro

'Exhilarating. A stunning evocation of the landscapes of America' Scotland on Sunday
'A powerful magical tour.' Independent