A new literary, art and music festival celebrating the Beat Generation is coming to Ipswich this month.
Among the highlights of the month-long Festival of the Beats is a return to the town of rebel poet and songwriter Attila the Stockbroker.
Poetry, spoken word, film, live music and art exhibitions will be held at the Town Hall to pay tribute to a literary movement which took off in 1950s America.
The Beat Generation quickly became a cultural phenomenon, in large part thanks to Allen Ginsberg, who wrote the epic poem “Howl”, Jack Kerouac, author of “On The Road” and William Burroughs, who stormed to fame with the novel “Naked Lunch”.
Festival organiser Paul Fisk, a local poet and artist, said: “This is a unique opportunity for the people of Ipswich and beyond to experience a taste of one of the most influential cultural eras of the past 60 years. We are really pleased to get Attila here. He’s writing his autobiography and will be talking about his early gigs in Ipswich."
The Festival of the Beats will feature a series of fringe events at various locations in the build-up to the main festival weekend - from January 31 to February 2. It is supported by Ipswich Recreate, a European Union-funded project to boost creative industries.
For tickets visit www.festivalofthebeats.com
