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The Lost King of the Beats

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Lucien Carr, the lost King of the Beats.

Lucien Carr, the lost King of the Beats.

Burroughs, Ginsberg, Kerouac. Names synonymous with the popular post-war literature movement known as The Beat Generation. Their names have echoed across university campuses the world over and their works would go on to inspire art, music and literature long after their deaths. Yet, there exists one other man, who isn’t nearly as well known as his adversaries. The lost king of the beats.

Lucien Carr was only a freshman at Columbia University when he first met Allen Ginsberg. The two hit it off and through an acquaintance Carr was introduced to Jack Kerouac, whom he would later introduce to Ginsberg. Carr would also be responsible for introducing everyone to his older friend, fellow writer William S. Burroughs, and the legendary kings of the beats were born.

Long before any of the guys had even a footnote to their names, the group could be found hanging out around the Columbia University campus, haunting local bars and night clubs, spinning their prose and fueling their fire with as many illicit substances as possible. At the center of it all was Carr.

Though Ginsberg felt that Carr was a bit of a self-destructive egoist, he also saw within him a sort of mad genius and later reflects that “Lou was the glue” holding the group together. So what happened?

Since the 1950s it’s been almost a right of passage for practically everyone in their late teens and early twenties to read classics like Naked Lunch, On the Road, or Ginsberg’s epic poem, Howl. How is it that Carr was such a central figure within this rebellious group of literary masters, yet practically no one knows who he is?

Prior attending Columbia University, Carr had lived with his mother in St. Louis. At just 14, Carr caught the eye of his boy scout leader, David Kammerer. Kammerer had been a boyhood friend of writer William S. Burroughs and would later introduce Carr to him. Kammerer pursued Carr’s affection relentlessly. At times Carr would be annoyed by Krammerer’s antics, but other times seemed to revel in his attention. Krammerer’s presence made the rest of the beats uncomfortable, but he still continued to try to win Carr’s affection and become a member of the group.

Krammerer’s behavior became much more alarming and signs of his mental deterioration began to show. On one occasion he was caught attempting to hang Jack Kerouac’s cat and another he was arrested for breaking into Carr’s bedroom window in order to watch him sleep.

August 13, 1944 the tension between Krammerer’s obsession with Carr and Carr’s unrequited feelings finally came to a head. After Carr and Kerouac failed to catch a boat for France, the two headed to a popular hotspot, The West End bar. Krammerer, not surprisingly, had also been at the bar that day and Carr agreed to go for a walk with him.

Lucien Carr posing with Jack Kerouac.

Lucien Carr posing with Jack Kerouac.

Carr says that the two made their way to West 115th Street in Manhattan, when Krammerer, once again, came on to Carr. Carr rejected Krammerer’s advances and Krammerer began attacking him. Carr said in a panic he reached into his pocket and pulled out a boy scout knife he had carried with him since the days of Krammerer heading his troop. He took the knife and plunged it into Krammerer’s chest.

Carr made his way back to the apartment of Burroughs and tossed him a pack of Krammerer’s bloodied cigarettes. Carr told Kerouac and Burroughs about the altercation that had occurred between him and Krammerer. Burroughs flushed the cigarettes down the toilet and told Carr to get a lawyer.

Rather than turning himself in, as Burroughs had instructed, he recruited the help of Jack Kerouac and another acquaintance to help him dispose of the murder weapon, some of Krammerer’s belongings, and dumped Krammerer’s body into the Hudson River. The trio then went to the art museum to look at paintings.

Kerouac and Burroughs were arrested as material witnesses and Carr was charged with second degree murder. The media portrayed Krammerer as a sexual predator, whose five year infatuation with Carr lead to his murder. The courts agreed to pursue a lesser charge of first degree manslaughter. Carr served two years in prison and was later released.

Rather than chase the notoriety of his peers, Carr settled down to live a private life, even requesting Ginsberg to remove his name within the dedication in the beginning of Howl. Carr did remain close with his beat pals, even serving as best man at Jack Kerouac’s wedding, but refused to bask in the spotlight. Some of Carr’s works have sparked an interest within the literary community, when the resurgence of beat culture came to the forefront, but still his name does not grace any college syllabi.


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