Ken Kesey

Also try: One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest (Book)

Guide Notes:

Ken Kesey was an American author and counter-culture folk hero who is best known for his novel One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest.

Fast Facts:

  1. Born: September 17, 1935
  2. Died: November 10, 2001
  3. Birthplace: La Junta, Colorado
  4. Birth Name: Kenneth Elton Kesey
  5. Participated in Project MKULTRA
  6. Favorite Band: The Grateful Dead
  7. Member of the Merry Pranksters
  8. Authored over a dozen novels

Drug Culture

While attending Stanford University in 1959, Kesey took part in a volutary CIA funded drug testing program called Project MKULTRA. The project took place at the Menlo Park Veterans Hospital, and provided the background for his writing project, which would later become One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest. The testing was over a broad range of psychoactive drugs which included LSD, mescaline and cocaine. Kesey went on after the project to perform his own testing, to the point of hosting "acid parties" once he arrived on the west coast.

The Mahalo Top 7

  1. Official Site: Key-Z Productions  WARNING: Psychedelic background!
  2. Wikipedia: Ken Kesey
  3. Wikiquote: Ken Kesey
  4. IntrepidTrips.com: Ken Kesey & The Merry Pranksters
  5. Fan Site: Merry Prankster History Project
  6. Amazon.com: Ken Kesey Books
  7. National Geographic: Ken Kesey's Oregon (Time: 02:31)  WARNING: Auto-plays video  Michael: Kesey shares his thought on nature

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Literature Quotations

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Ken Kesey Personal Timeline

  • September 17, 1935: Born
  • 1957: Received degree from the University of Oregon in Speech and Communication
  • 1958: Enrolls in Stanford University's creative writing program
  • 1959: Volunteered for Project MKULTRA, a CIA sponsored research program
  • 1964: Merry Pranksters travel across country in their bus, "Furthur"
  • 1966: Arrested for possession of marijuana, fled to Mexico | spent 5 months in jail
  • 1994: Toured with the Merry Pranksters performing a musical he wrote
  • November 10, 2001: Died

Publications Timeline

Notable Film Adaptions

 WARNING: Pop-ups NOTE: All of the links in this section are from IMDb, which has pop-ups.

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