Who was Sinclair Beiles?: February 2014

Saturday, February 8, 2014

MIT Exhibit Reveals How A Beat Poet Conquered Space Before Yuri Gagarin

The first man in space was Sinclair Beiles. A beatnik living in Paris, Beiles was recruited by a young Greek artist named Vassilakis Takis, who coaxed him to strap on a helmet and hover for several minutes, suspended electromagnetically, while reciting poetry. Beiles made his voyage in the Fall of 1960, and although he later said that the magnetism scrambled his brain, Takis proudly asserted that his expedition anticipated Yuri Gagarin’s space launch by six months...Read more here

Who was Sinclair Beiles?

Who was Sinclair Beiles? is a compilation of writings about South African Beat poet Sinclair Beiles, co-edited by Gary Cummiskey and Eva Kowalska. Contributors are Gary Cummiskey, Eva Kowalska, Alan Finlay, George Dillon Slater, dawie malan, Earle Holmes, Heathcote Williams, Carl Weissner and Fred de Vries. It was originally published by Dye Hard Press, Johannesburg, South Africa, in 2009. A revised and expanded edition was published in 2015. Who was Sinclair Beiles? is distributed to bookstores throughout South Africa by Bacchus Books.However, copies can be ordered directly from the publisher.Email dyehardpress@iafrica.com for order details.