For thousands of young Westerners, South Korea is an escape from reality. It is a place where money is easy and booze is cheap. By day they toil in crooked cram-schools, teaching the peninsula’s violent, video game-obsessed youth. At night they cut loose and embrace Korea’s famous drinking culture.   Among these disaffected young teachers is Alexander. Young, naïve and a little drunker than most, he is struggling to cope with life on the “wrong side of the world”. In The Dog Farm we follow Alex from girl to girl, beer to beer, across Korea, to Japan, and back again, in an unlikely love story.  "The heartfelt cavorting of Jack Kerouac across America is recalled in The Dog Farm." - 10 Magazine  "Hunter S. Thompson would’ve been proud. The Dog Farm is much like a gin and tonic – a bit too bitter for some and just what the doctor ordered for others." - Chris in South Korea  "Wills’ text remains an entertaining novel throughout, particularly for readers with experience living and/or working in South Korea. Alexander’s descriptions of day-to-day life for an expat in Korea will ring true to moments we have all experienced. I found the novel triggering memories that left me nodding in agreement… In addition, Wills’ prose is fluid and easy to read – a great achievement for his first piece of long-form fiction. I will certainly be seeking out his future work." - Daegu Compass

The Dog Farm

Literature & Fiction

Wills, David S.

Genre Fiction

Beatdom Books

Scientology is largely overlooked in major texts about the life and work of William S. Burroughs, author of some of the most notorious literature of the 20th century. Its importance in the creation of the Cut-up Method and Burroughs’ view of language as a virus is undermined by the omission of details regarding his interest in the religion over the course of a decade – certainly the most creatively fertile period of his life. Instead, biographers and critics tend to focus on his other obsessions in the realm of fringe science, and on the period during the early 1970s when Burroughs left the religion and began a public crusade against it.  However, Burroughs’ involvement with L. Ron Hubbard’s organization was no fleeting interest; he was a fully-fledged member and even obtained the rank of ‘clear’ – a prestigious achievement for a Scientologist. Scientology ultimately inspired the plot, the structure, and various elements of some of Burroughs’ most important works, including The Soft Machine and The Wild Boys. His fascination was genuine, and his progress through the hierarchical structure of the Church signals a dedication that he would later downplay after being excommunicated in 1969.  Now, for the first time, his life and literature are reexamined in the light of newly uncovered information about Burroughs’ fascination with this ‘weird cult,’ as he once described it.  "an engrossing read" - Tony Ortega

Scientologist!: William S. Burroughs and the 'Weird Cult'

Biographies & Memoirs

Arts & Literature

Allen Ginsberg was one of the most recognisable public figures of the 20th century, and one of the most important American poets of all time. Yet he was also a seasoned traveller, capable of spending months or even years on the road, surviving on his wits. For Ginsberg, travel was more than a frivolous hobby; it was something that shaped him as a poet, an activist, and a person. Without visiting Mexico in 1954, there would have been no “Howl”. Without visiting France in 1958, there would have been no “Kaddish”. Without visiting India in 1963, the image of Allen Ginsberg as a bearded hippie sage chanting mantras with finger symbols would simply not have existed. 
In World Citizen, David S. Wills presents a new biography of Allen Ginsberg – one told through the prism of travel. Ginsberg’s life is recounted journey by journey, his development as a traveller meticulously recorded, and the influence of travel on his poetry noted for the first time.

World Citizen: Allen Ginsberg as Traveller

High White Notes is a critical examination of the writing of Hunter S. Thompson. It is arranged biographically in order to connect life events with literary development. It places the author in his proper literary context by examining those writers whose work he admired - Conrad, Hemingway, Fitzgerald, Donleavy, Burroughs - and explores how he developed one of the most unique and brilliant voices in twentieth-century American literature. This book is divided into two parts: The Rise, which documents the development of Thompson's unique literary style; and The Fall, which charts his spectacular descent into chronic writer's block and mediocrity. The first half largely explores how and why he developed his peculiar style of writing and the second explains why he failed to push it further and why the writing done during this period was incredibly poor compared to what came before it. In each sense, representative works (both well-known and previously unknown) are used to examine his literary techniques. The title, High White Notes, refers to a quote by F. Scott Fitzgerald, which was of great importance to Hunter Thompson. He never sought perfection in his work, but rather pursued brief flashes of brilliance, such as the famed wave passage in Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas or the Edge section of Hell's Angels. Although the scope of this book is quite broad, this is the general frame, which is fitting given that Thompson used Fitzgerald as a model throughout almost his entire life. This book explores his attempts to emulate Fitzgerald and others (primarily Hemingway, Conrad, and Donleavy), looking into why he later departed from these literary templates. Ultimately, the aim of High White Notes is to give serious literary consideration to one of the most important and misunderstood American writers of the twentieth century without falling victim to the weaknesses of previous publications, which were primarily a focus on salacious details and biographical errors due to underestimating the scope of Thompson's propensity for self-mythologising. It is a highly critical work, which will dissect his weakest efforts as well as his finest, in search of the first comprehensive analysis of Gonzo - a form of literary journalism that previously defied categorisation.

High White Notes: The Rise and Fall of Gonzo Journalism

This issue of Beatdom takes a look at the tricky topic of Religion, examining the role belief played in the lives and literature of the Beat Generation. From Kerouac's back-and-forth between Catholicism and Buddhism, to William S. Burroughs obsession with Scientology, Beatdom brings you the very best of the Beats. We also have Kitty Bruce talking with Michael Hendrick about her father, Lenny Bruce, and his thoughts on religion, as well as stories by Zeena and Nikolas Schreck.

Beatdom: The Religion Issue

History & Criticism

CreateSpace Independent Publishing Platform

Beatdom's 13th issue, marking the magazine's 6th anniversary, tackles the topic of drinking. The Beats were no strangers to alcohol, but rather than dwell on the already tired subject of Jack Kerouac's alcohol abuse, we have chosen to focus on other Beats, including William S. Burroughs and Allen Ginsberg, who are more famous for their use of illegal substances.

Beatdom #13: The DRINKING Issue

Hollister, Katharine

United States

Beatdom #9 tackles the relationship between literature and drugs. It features essays on Hunter S. Thompson, William S. Burroughs, Jack Kerouac, Allen Ginsberg, and traces the history of marijuana through India.

Beatdom #9: The DRUGS Issue

Beatdom 16 is the MONEY issue of Beatdom, in which we look at the fictional origins of the Burroughs Millions, or rather, the trust fund that supposedly kept William S. Burroughs wealthy enough to live a life of luxury. Beyond this, we look at the childhood of Herbert Huncke, in a piece written by Hilary Holladay, and reconsider the writing styles of Allen Ginsberg and Jack Kerouac. We also have essays on the lives and work of Hettie Jones and Bonnie Bremser, as well as reconsidering Kerouac’s novels as early New Journalism, rather than fiction. In addition to these excellent essays, we have several short stories and Beat book reviews.

Beatdom #16

Find out how to write the perfect IELTS essay in this essential guide. David S. Wills, founder of TED-IELTS, tells you everything you need to know in order to score band 7 or higher. In this volume, you will learn all about structure, question analysis, vocabulary, and grammar. Everything is thoroughly explained in plain English and illustrated with useful examples. David S. Wills is the author of Grammar for IELTS Writing and A Complete Guide to IELTS Writing. He has been teaching IELTS since 2010 and has helped hundreds of students from around the world to achieve their target scores.

How to Write the Perfect Essay for IELTS

Reference

English as a Second Language

Independently published

Getting a high band score in the IELTS writing exam requires a good grasp of English grammar. This handbook provides all the information you need in a short, simple guide. It is easy to understand and an invaluable resource for any IELTS student.

Grammar for IELTS Writing: A Handbook

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