Ken Kesey

Ken Elton Kesey (1935–2001) was an American novelist and counterculture figure best known for *One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest* (1962) and *Sometimes a Great Notion* (1964). Born in La Junta, Colorado, and raised in Oregon, he studied at the University of Oregon and later at Stanford University. While at Stanford, he participated in government-sponsored experiments involving psychoactive drugs, experiences that informed his writing and public persona. Kesey became a central presence in 1960s psychedelic culture, leading the Merry Pranksters and promoting the “Acid Tests.” He later lived in Oregon, where he continued writing and public readings.