Studio8 - Uniting the Arts

Burroughs' introduction to this world occurred when he met a street-wise criminal who exerted an important influence on the Beat Generation vortex, Herbert Huncke. Huncke was a street-wise hustler. A good example of the fellaheen that Burroughs extolled. Oswald Spengler had written about the fellaheen in his book, Decline of the West, a book Burroughs would lend to Kerouac. The fellaheen represent the society's marginal people, at the edge of a culture in spiritual decline. Burroughs lent his copy of Spengler's book to Kerouac who also became intrigued by the concept.