Ken Elton Kesey and His Works

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Ken Elton Kesey was born on September 17, 1935 (The Oregon Historical Society). Kesey was a star wrestler in Springfield, Oregon where he was raised. He was the recipient of two different scholarships, to the University of Oregon and Stanford University. He then went on to become a successful author and write several memorable novels including One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, Sailor Song, and Sometimes a Great Nation (Ken Kesey Biography). In 1975, one of these novels, One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest, was converted to an Oscar winning film (The Oregon Historical Society).
Kesey was born in La Junta, Colorado, and he moved to Oregon with his family in 1946. He was a champion wrestler during high school and college (The Oregon Historical Society). He graduated from the University of Oregon in 1957, where he took part in wrestling and theatre (Goodwin). After graduating from the University of Oregon, Kesey moved to Palo Alto, California because he won a scholarship to Stanford University’s graduate program in writing (Ken Kesey Biography). While at Stanford University, he had the chance to be a student of accredited historian, short story writer, and novelist Wallace Stegner (The Oregon Historical Society). When Kesey finished his schooling, he had obtained a bachelor’s degree from the University of Oregon and a master’s degree in writing from Stanford University (Ken Kesey Biography).
In 1959, Kesey volunteered himself for a government-funded psychoactive drug research program. The program, held at Menlo Park Veterans Hospital, was testing hallucinogenic drugs such as LSD, mescaline, and psilocybin. During the program, which lasted several weeks, Kesey took these drugs and kept his experiences in writing for the researchers. After ...

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...quo, college students widely read and enjoyed the book. The book is considered a masterpiece by many and is the centerpiece of Kesey’s lasting legacy (Goodwin).

Works Cited

Goodwin, Susan. "One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest by Ken Kesey." 2012. Lone Star College System. 8 April 2014 .
"Ken Kesey Biography." 2014. The Biography Channel Website. 7 April 2014 .
Kesey, Ken. One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. Signet Books, 1963.
Railton, Stephen. "Ken Kesey & The Merry Pranksters." 2012. University of Virginia. 9 April 2014 .
The Oregon Historical Society. "Ken Kesey Biography." 2009. Oregon History Project. 7 April 2014 .

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