<P> The Beat Generation is a literary movement started by a group of authors whose work explored and influenced American culture and politics in the post-World War II era . The bulk of their work was published and popularized throughout the 1950s . Central elements of Beat culture are rejection of standard narrative values, spiritual quest, exploration of American and Eastern religions, rejection of materialism, explicit portrayals of the human condition, experimentation with psychedelic drugs, and sexual liberation and exploration . </P> <P> Allen Ginsberg's Howl (1956), William S. Burroughs's Naked Lunch (1959) and Jack Kerouac's On the Road (1957) are among the best known examples of Beat literature . Both Howl and Naked Lunch were the focus of obscenity trials that ultimately helped to liberalize publishing in the United States . The members of the Beat Generation developed a reputation as new bohemian hedonists, who celebrated non-conformity and spontaneous creativity . </P>

What name was given to the literary movement that occurred from the end of ww2