Venice West"A most remarkable book . . . a wonderful account of an odd and unlikely place where for a brief time a small number of people pursued a romantic vision of what a life dedicated to art should be like . . . a superb story."William O'Neill, author of American High: The Years of Confidence, 1945 1960 The beatnik was born in Venice, California, in the 1950s. An imaginary figure in many respectsthe invention of both the media and the people who played the