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John Clelland Holmes (1926-88) was a friend of Kerouac and Ginsberg although he was more an observer of the beat scene than an active participant. His novel, "Go", published in 1952 was considered the first "Beat" book.
At the time, Kerouac was envious of Clelland's success - he had received a $20,000 advance. Meanwhile Kerouac was still trying to find a publisher for "On the Road" which was not published until 1957.
Holmes also wrote a famous article - "This is the Beat Generation"